That leading line feels so cliche but I really couldn’t think of any other way to open this article! I apologize for being bland.  This article will be updated as I continue to work through the nominations and my indecisiveness is worked out.  Continue on now to a partial list!

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Mark Boal – The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds
Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman – The Messenger
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen – A Serious Man
Bob Peterson and Pete Docter – Up

My Favorite: Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds

Who will probably win: Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell – District 9
Nick Hornby – An Education
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche – In The Loop
Geoffrey Fletcher – Precious
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner – Up in the Air

My favorite: Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell – District 9

Who will probably win: Geoffrey Fletcher – Precious

Visual Effects
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

My favorite: Avatar

Who will probably win: Avatar

Sound Mixing
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

My Favorite: Star Trek

Who will probably win: Star Trek

Sound Editing
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up

My Favorite: The Hurt Locker

Who will probably win: Up

Short Film (Live Action)
The Door – Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
Instead of Abracadabra – Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellstrom
Kavi – Gregg Helvey
Miracle Fish – Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
The New Tenants – Joachim Back and Tivi Magnussan

Short Film (Animated)
French Roast – Fabrice O. Joubert
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty – Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte) – Javier Recio Gracia
Logorama – Nicolas Schmerkin
A Matter of Loaf and Death – Nick Park

I haven’t seen any of the Short Films so I won’t bother faking a favorite.

Music (Original Song)
“Almost There” – The Princess and the Frog
“Down in New Orleans” – The Princess and the Frog
“Loin de Paname” – Paris 36
“Take It All” – Nine
“The Weary Kind” – Crazy Heart

My Favorite: “The Weary Kind” – Crazy Heart…though I wish we could have seen Jeff Bridges actually sing it completely!

Who will probably win: “The Weary Kind” – Crazy Heart

Music (Original Score)
Avatar – James Horner
Fantastic Mr. Fox – Alexandre Desplat
The Hurt Locker – Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
Sherlock Holmes – Hans Zimmer
Up – Michael Giacchino

My Favorite: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Who will probably win: Up

Makeup
Il Divo – Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
Star Trek – Barney Burman, Minday Hall and Joel Harlow
The Young Victoria – Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

My Favorite: Star Trek

Who will probably win: Il Divo

Foreign Language Film
Ajami – Israel
El Secreto de Sus Ojos – Argentina
The Milk of Sorrow – Peru
Un Prophete – France
The White Ribbon – Germany

Won’t be able to see all of the choices so I won’t be picking a favorite :)

Film Editing
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious

My Favorite: Avatar

Who will probably win: Avatar

Documentary Short
China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Music by Prudence
Rabbit a la Berlin

Have not seen any of the documentary shorts so will keep my non-thoughts to myself.

Documentary Feature
Burma VJ
The Cove
Food, Inc.
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home

Have only seen Food, Inc. so I’ll stay unbiased for now.  I have heard very good things about The Cove though.

Directing
James Cameron – Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds
Lee Daniels – Precious
Jason Reitman – Up in the Air

My Favorite: Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker

Who will probably win: Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker

Costume Design
Janet Patterson – Bright Star
Catherine Leterrier – Coco before Chanel
Monique Prudhomme – The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Colleen Atwood – Nine
Sandy Powell – The Young Victoria

No idea.   For serious.

Cinematography
Mauro Fiore – Avatar
Bruno Delbonnel – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Barry Ackroyd – The Hurt Locker
Robert Richardson – Inglourious Basterds
Christian Berger – The White Ribbon

My Favorite: Robert Richardson – Inglourious Basterds

Who will probably win: Robert Richardson – Inglourious Basterds

Art Direction
Avatar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

My Favorite: Avatar

Who will probably win: Avatar

Animated Feature Film
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up

My Favorite: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Who will probably win: Up

Actress in a Supporting Role
Penelope Cruz – Nine
Vera Farmiga – Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick – Up in the Air
Mo’Nique – Precious

My Favorite: Anna Kendrick

Who will probably win: Mo’Nique

Actress in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
Helen Mirren – The Last Station
Carey Mulligan – An Education
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious
Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia

My Favorite: Carey Mulligan

Who will probably win: Sandra Bullock

Actor in a Supporting Role
Matt Damon – Invictus
Woody Harrelson – The Messenger
Christopher Plummer – The Last Station
Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds

My Favorite: Christoph Waltz

Who will probably win: Christoph Waltz

Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart
George Clooney – Up in the Air
Colin Firth – A Single Man
Morgan Freeman – Invictus
Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker

My Favorite: Jeremy Renner

Who will probably win: Jeff Bridges

Best Picture
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

My Favorite:  District 9, Avatar, Inglourious Basterds, and The Hurt Locker are all my favorites.  A cop-out I know, but their fantastic.

Who will probably win: The Hurt Locker

( Oscar Nominations list via ABC’s http://oscar.go.com
Oscar image via http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/)

I’ve seen Avatar 3 times.

1. Opening Weekend in NEW-IMAX 3D.  I believe people still weren’t too sure about the film.  Even though the theater was packed, I walked in Saturday and bought a ticket for the next showtime.
2. Third weekend in RealD.  I tried to see the film with my friend in NEW-IMAX 3D for the second weekend but was shutdown due to a sold out show (we arrived 15 minutes before showtime).  Arriving 45 minutes early and finding IMAX sold out for the third weekend frustrated us enough to settle for RealD.
3. Fifth weekend in NEW-IMAX 3D.  I figured to be on the safe side calling beforehand was a good idea.  I was right; showing up even an hour before the 11:35am show it was close to selling out.  Our theater was near full by 12:00pm at a start time of 12:35pm.

Five weekends strong and working on its sixth, Avatar has passed the $550 million mark in the United States according to estimates.  Total foreign and domestic box office is officially quoted at $1,836,346,000 (Box Office Mojo).

Ho-ly cr-ap.

Is it possible that this was a calculated business plan from the start?  Who knows.  What perfect-storm type events happen for a film to reach nearly 2 billion dollars?  That’s the question I’ve been stewing over after my three viewings.  And my thought sharing starts…now:

Limited IMAX/NEW-IMAX 3D Theaters
A more expensive ticket for an enlarged screen, booming acoustics, and a fine-tuned film print.  A ruckus began around these new semi-IMAX theaters (what I’ve been calling NEW-IMAX throughout this article) about a year ago, and it seems to have died down since then.  5 weeks have gone by since Avatar’s opening weekend and theaters are still selling out for these seats.  Whether the price is justified is up to the buyer, but to see the film in its full glory is hard to pass up.

Seeing Avatar in NEW-IMAX 3D was the only way to go for me.  At our theater the picture was beautiful.  RealD was really distant in terms of picture quality; much blurrier and not nearly as crisp.

Multiple Output Versions
If you showed up and tried to catch a morning or afternoon screening at the theater, there’s a good chance you were disappointed by a dreaded “sold out” sign for NEW-IMAX 3D.  But you planned this time to see James Cameron’s big return!  Going home is a possibility…or you could suck it up and catch a RealD/Dolby 3D or 2D show, telling yourself you’ll see this version and catch the IMAX later.  This scenario could be reversed as well for the hardcore types that are curious about the aesthetic differences.

That sound you hear is of cash being forked over by the customer.  My scenario is best case for its production companies and the theaters showing the film, though I do know many people that have seen the film these different ways successively.  Including myself.

Word of Mouth
From Comic-Con footage to Avatar Day to 2D commercials, the marketing consensus on the interwebs seemed to be good not great (except for me, I kind of fell head over heels with the 3D effects e.g. our Avatar Day reactions in August).  Buzz around the world might have changed though after that first release weekend; the next two domestic box office weekends only had a total gross decline of 11.2% from the initial $77 million opening.

I’ve told people to go see the film and people I’m acquainted with have told me to go see it as well (not knowing I’m a huge movie fan).  After all, it won’t be in the theater forever.  This wildfire of praise distribution is what all studios hope for.  Avatar seems to have reached its goal.

The Script
248 positive reviews and 44 negative have Avatar sitting at a 82% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.  On IMDB it is rated at an 8.6 out of 10 stars by 160,589 users.  While not the most original story ever told, the discovery of new characters and new worlds is still enjoyable.  Its themes are not incredibly subtle, but ultimately still important and touching.  Although this site never posted an official review of the film, I can honestly say that if I hadn’t seen or felt something from Pandora, repeat viewings would never have happened.

The James Cameron Experience
Everything I’ve stated until now is inclusive to this Avatar experience.  IMAX, the comradery of sitting in a room wearing goofy 3D glasses, an entrancingly beautiful world with literally larger than life characters, and a story that is rooted in our own history– it is an experience.  And one that won’t last forever in theaters.

James Cameron took a large and calculated chance on his film (I doubt he saw it as chance, more like opportunity.  Can’t confirm though.).  When you’re in a packed theater for not just the first week, or second, third, or fourth, recognize that he’s discovered this level of success TWICE! (Titanic was produced also by Paramount Pictures).  A 15 year old idea and 4 years of production are currently around 6 million dollars away from becoming the highest and fastest grossing film of all time.  Whether you like it or not, it won’t discount the numbers.  The world his team has created, its production and technical ambition, are all truly inspiring.

I’m not sure whether this was the best outlined business plan of all time or the luckiest.  I do know that if it’s possible to capitalize on again though…they will.

(All box office totals via of www.BoxOfficeMojo.com on January 24, 2010
Tomatometer rating via www.RottenTomatoes.com on January 24, 2010
IMDB Rating via www.IMDB.com on January 24, 2010)

“The Informant!” is a strange peak into the world of corn, its byproducts, and its business; the height of exciting action and suspense.  Sarcasm aside, be thankful if you go see this movie that this is only a backdrop for the plot.   Matt Damon’s character Mark Whitacre actually reveals a supposed saboteur within his corn company.  Circumstances continue to escalate rapidly, so much so that he then enters a new double life as an untrained and undercover FBI agent.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the uniqueness of this film comes from how the story unfolds.  Whitacre is almost the official guide for the audience as we sporadically hear his inner thoughts over the film’s course.  Though no characters hear these surprisingly random musings, everyone is still reliant on his information.  His family, the FBI, and the corn company all listen scrupulously to this one person.

Understanding the overall uniqueness is a bit different than seeing it however.  There are some noticeably bland sections to the script that don’t translate well on screen.  Mundane dialogue exchanges and regular location transitions as Whitacre travels for business leave its viewers uninterested, staring at the screen like they were on a boring date.

Mr. Damon’s performance doesn’t disappoint as an outrageous middle-aged company man though.  His straight faced humor seems effortless in this comedy, and yes, this is a comedy.  Each scene he is included in usually carries a decent amount of dry humor, even if the audience might not completely find it funny.  Towards the third act the mood becomes a bit more serious, but it brings the laughter around by the end to keep you smiling.

Sitting through the “The Informant!” once more would definitely be a rewarding second viewing.  It’s an intelligent film where a lot of things are said in passing, only to become more important as the plot rolls on.  Accompanying the visuals is an upbeat soundtrack that plays with and against the events on screen.  Listening carefully might provide some more insight to the characters (but you didn’t hear that from me).

There are a lot of reasons to go see this film, though if dry humor is not appealing, boredom might set in fairly quickly.  Regardless, Mr. Damon adds yet another interesting character to his repertoire and continues to display his talent.  “The Informant!” will provide a few chuckles and a thought provoking one hour and forty eight minutes.  Go out and support the movies!

_Gregg

The film’s protagonist 9 (potentially confusing since this is also the title the film, stick with me) is an entirely inanimate rag doll until he somehow arises to life in a world that’s now devoid of humans. Upon discovering others like himself and the hellish threats they all face, his courageous and loyal characteristics jump-start a change on their annihilated planet. For better or worse.

An appropriate starting point for this review would be to discuss the setting and tone. Knowing it was produced by Tim Burton (upcoming “Alice in Wonderland,” “Corpse Bride”) and written by screenwriter Pamela Pettler (“Corpse Bride”), one might assume a shadowy, curious tale to take place. That someone would be right.

“9” is probably not suitable for younger children as bright and warm appearances similar to many Disney-Pixar movies aren’t present here; lightheartedness is sparse after the gloom of an apocalypse. The dark setting provides a perfect home for this atypical animation and more often than not, the computer-animated world looks glorious in its dreary state.

While stunning visuals make up everything the characters inhabit and interact with, the story fails to reach the same depths. Crucial information behind the plot isn’t revealed until near the second act’s end. Prior to that, the only option is to follow along and infer while more and more questions accumulate.

Eventually the audience is brought up to speed, but the amount of time it takes to get there is a disservice to the characters’ development. Luckily, the frequent action picks up where story drops the ball/baton/soap (depending on the metaphor). Camera positioning, direction, and musical cues all build gripping sequences that are exciting to watch.

Mr. Acker’s original short film didn’t make use of dialogue at all. Moving to a full-length film likely shifted his stories vision now that Elijah Wood (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy) voices the main character 9.

Recognizable actors voice other characters as well, with no one really outshining anyone else. Still, dialogue is sparse when used. Mannerisms and thoughtful expressions give much more life to each creation, cementing this as a highly visual adventure.

Even in its flaws, there is no denying “9” handles suspense and adventure well. Perhaps if the exposition had been less concentrated and more frequent, a deeper connection with the story could have been made.

Moviegoers should hope for an increase in differing styles of animation, like what Mr. Acker has branched out to. He has shown that more mature themes and narratives are possible with this creative medium. Do take the time out to see this in theaters as it is enjoyable, just know that it’s also a measurable distance from magnificent.

_Gregg

And without further ado!

Gregg’s Review

Since their beginnings, the art of filmmaking and technology have formed a real bond. One could describe them as a couple that has been together for around 100 years, give or take a few, depending on the argument. Enhanced sound, computer effects, and of course the high-definition digital cameras of today are even behind recognized films like “Sin City” and “Public Enemies.”

What happens though when technology isn’t just behind the scenes, but is also a major basis for a story?  You might receive an intensely stylized vision from the likes of writer and director duo Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor (Neveldine/Taylor).

Their newest film “Gamer” is high on action and technology, pushing them both to absurd extremes.  Kable, the alias of Gerard Butler’s character, is a death row inmate fighting for his freedom in corporation-funded war arenas.

This ‘game’ doesn’t leave him in control; he cannot act under his own free will.  Each inmate in the arena is controlled by someone on the outside, like a string-less marionette, or a video game.  If there were to be a mix of “Gladiator”, “The Running Man” and “The Sims” game franchise, this would be it.

Explosions and violence are plentiful and necessary for the combat-driven setting.  The camera focuses heavily on placing the action above the audience while looking up at the characters.  Frequently it’s placed below waist level, and at times when bullets are involved, it’s somewhere around the knees.  At one point the camera even makes a run towards the cement ground, which felt a bit odd.  This overall grandiose effect may or may not be noticeable for some, but could irritate others, although, this gripe doesn’t affect the characters.

Mr. Butler is able to show a blend of subtlety and roughness as Kable, while other well-known actors give performances that are equal in quality.  Michael C. Hall (“Dexter”), Terry Crews (“The Longest Yard”), Amber Valletta (“Hitch”), and Christopher ‘Ludacris’ Bridges (“Max Payne”) are all endowed with the skill to perform, but two stand out in particular: Mr. Hall and Mr. Crew.

Both men participate in moments where they tap into their musical prowess to provide some of the most bizarre scenes in an action movie, possibly ever.  With those lyrical lapses in time, this odd direction may make quite an impression, an incredibly strange and unbelievably hilarious impression.

Since the film is set in the not-so-distant future, it shines a spotlight on the anonymity that the Internet equips its users.  The pushes to the logical limit are often disturbing as this is a world where anyone has the ability to control another human being, from the privacy of their own home.  Just imagine a few indecent or suggestive scenarios and it should be easy to guess where “Gamer” travels.

With that said and without spoilers, “Gamer” is a film that earns its ‘R’ rating easily.  The ride taken through Mr. Neveldine’s and Mr. Taylor’s world is jarring and fast-paced.  It continuously reminds you with quick cuts and sounds that this is a real world with an unconventional, game-like structure.

Following the plot and each of the characters stories can be ridiculous too, but it doesn’t shy away from that.  This is not a film that takes itself so seriously that it hurts.  Enjoy it at its face value, a stylized action thriller experience.

Ruben’s Review

Whooo! What to say about Gamer? Well let’s see to, um, sum it up in a single sentence here: *In my best Fontaine impersonation* If you like bloody fight/action scenes that look like they were cut up in post production by the Slap Chop, great actors poorly acting or poorly directed (I assume the latter), gratuitous shots of boobs and scantly clad women, and love a good song and dance number, well then you have hit the jackpot my friends!  Because pretty much this is all that I got out of the movie. I thought the premise of a guy who was wrongly imprisoned trying to make it out of this “reality” game while being controlled by another human, a child at that, it would be an awesome action packed adventure.  I mean it has Gerard Butler (The best Phantom of the Opera in my opinion since I’ve only seen that version of the musical) and it’s a movie about a real life video game.  Boom, I’m there for it baby! Where’s my Doritos and Mountain Dew? Boy, was I poorly mistaken.

Now I’m not saying that I despise these type of events occurring in any movie or anything.  I do enjoy a good show tune every now and then, especially one with breast, but it really depends on the type of movie you are trying to sell here.  I mean in regards to the fight/action sequences, I swear it felt like I was watching and Uwe Boll film (i.e. House of the Dead).  There was no fluidity between the movements and to me it seemed such a waste.  As from what little I was able to piece together of the action sequences, it would have been great if it could have been slowed down a bit and less choppy.  Then in the midst of the adrenaline rush you throw in a musical number?  That’s like Ray Lewis doing a dance piece from the Nutcracker Ballet after sacking a quarterback.  Highly unnecessary.

Also, I wasn’t quite to keen with the acting of the cast.  I felt that they were not given any chance to “act” really.  It just seemed to me like everyone was reading there lines from a script and not even trying.  Butler was even making it difficult for me to believe in his character and root him on. Gerard Butler, Kyra Sedgwick, Michael C. Hall, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges (don’t knock me on this one, I think the man has talent), all great actors who should have been able to give this movie some sort of depth or edge…but I guess if the script and the directing are full of fecal matter then you just have to go with what was given.  But seriously, if you had a cast of those actors, you really should have brought your “A” game for making this film.

I do have to say one thing that I did like about the film: the song and dance number they had in this movie.  I laughed so loud I think I scared this piss out of some kid next to me.  Maybe that will scar him for life and think twice about seeing bad movies ever again with his 17 year old uncle.

(500) Days of Summer is based on relationship experience and lessons learned by screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber.  The film takes you to a place where this unconventional fiction is created from reality.  That creation is of a world we know, following a man and woman who have one of the most identifiable relationships put on screen in recent memory.  Steering clear of spoilers, the script is easily related to while nothing about the story or its methods are generic.

With the amount of screen time the script requires of Tom – played by Joshua Gordan-Levitz – it puts much of the film on his shoulders.  The same goes for co-star Zooey Deschanel as Summer.  Luckily they both carry the story like professional body-builders.  Chemistry between them could have also been an issue for such a seemingly realistic relationship, but not here.  You feel what they are going through because it’s woven with a fine thread on screen.  Congratulations to the people in casting.  Ms. Deschanel and Mr. Levitz have very natural auras (can’t believe I just used that word…but it’s true) in the sense you might catch them hanging out in a record store in your own town.

My over-arching reason for enjoying this movie as much as I did was the direction by Marc Webb.  He channels the script into a piece that feels personal, as if the characters and experiences are familiar to him too.  Creatively he brings Mr. Neustadter and Mr.Weber’s writing to life with a mixture of their funky songs and transitions, and they work fantastic-like.  A single scene sort of blew my mind as well technically; so much so that I almost started trying to work out how the hell he did it while watching the movie.  You stumped me sir, well played.

(500) Days of Summer shows you its cards right from the beginning. How the game plays out is the reason to see it.  As a guy that’s been in similar situations like the ones walked through in the film, I can honestly say I connected with the material.  That’s the same feeling I think most audiences will have whether something similar has occurred with their relationships or not.  And even if they can’t exactly relate, how are you going to stay away from a well written, finely portrayed, and lovingly made film?  Go see this while it is still in theaters.

As a companion piece of sorts for after the film, check out the podcast Creative Screenwriting ( ) for a Q&A session with screenwriter Scott Neustadter.  The insights to the film are wonderful and it’s one of my favorite podcasts and magazines.  (No they did not pay me to write this and I doubt they know we exist).

_Gregg

Man its been a while since I’ve written a review.  You can’t blame me though, nothing of interest was coming out of the studios that would entice me to spend money, except for the one game I kept seeing getting mentioned on multiple gaming websites.  That game is of course Fat Princess for the PS3, which leads me to Respect The Review’s newest game review in about a month…

Fat Princess by Titan Studios reminds me of the business metaphor involving a person wearing multiple hats representing the different jobs said person does.  This game is like that metaphor in which you, the player, are able to obtain abilities from the 5 different class hats available to you to help in your objective of rescuing your princess.  This leads to unique gameplay as you are able to change your class in the middle of the fight to try different attack patterns and obtain your objective.

Gameplay

Fat Princess reminded me of a cross between Diablo and Starcraft.  In a way, it plays like an action-RPG (hacking and slashing) and a real-time strategy game (gathering of resources and upgrades).  Everything is set in a cartoonish universe where one of your objectives could be to rescue a morbidly obese princess who binges on cake, kill away in team deathmatch or strategically control all outposts in a game while using simple controls and movements.

The game is primarily for online play, though it does give you the option to play a storyline that acts like a set of practice rounds, using the four main types of gameplay you will encounter online: Rescue the Princess, Snatch ‘n’ Grab (same as Rescue the Princess, just repeated multiple times), Team Deathmatch and Invasion (hold outpost for the duration of the game).  This is all done to a brilliantly narrated story by Tom Kane, whom some of our readers out there might recognize as the voice of the narrator and Jedi Master Yoda from Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series.  He gives some excellent sayings while play such as ” Their in our base, killing our dudes!”.  Classic.  The story is narrated like a fairy tale but does not carry much substance.  It is more of a way for players to acclimatize themselves to the game before venturing to online matches and facing the objectives against 31 other live players.  I will say that when I originally purchased the game, it was buggy online and took a long time to locate a playable match (upwards of five minutes before timing out).  Once a patch was released, it became a lot better in in both respects, even though there is still a little lag in some areas.  Not much, but noticeable none the less.  Another thing in the game that can sometimes be a drag is the amount of time you spend on one level.  Since there is no time limit on games, you keep playing until a team wins or the host leaves the game.

Obtaining objectives is all done with the help of the five different machines spurning out their specific hats, giving you five unique upgradable classes to meet your objectives.  These unique classes are the Warrior, Mage, Priest (healer), Ranger (ranged weapons) and Worker.  Each with its own primary and secondary abilities, each with its own strength and weaknesses that will have you and your group customizing your plans every game on the 8 different levels available.  On top of that, each level also has its own pitfalls and hazards (lava, water, cliffs).

Beyond you primary online gameplay, you also have other choices available to you in single player mode that I find quite entertaining.  If you are home alone or you get tired of hearing the same person on your team criticizing everyone when it’s THERE fault for barging in the castle like an idiot (you know who you are…).  Anyways, first up you have Gladiate, which if you’ve seen anything involving a gladiator you cleary understand that it’s you versus whatever the game throws at you, and you can choose from the five classes available in the game (all upgraded to their secondary abilities).  The next one which I find to be hilarious is the Soccer Match. You heard me right, Soccer Match.  It’s you and fifteen of your fellow computer players versus sixteen other computer players as you each try to score on each others goals while dodging fire, shots and bombs from both sides of the field.  Soccer has never been more entertaining I say!  One other interesting thing you are able to do is customize your own player that people will see in these matches.  You unlock more accessories and looks for all the different achievements you unlock while playing the game.

Visuals

Like I stated earlier, the game is very cartoonish but that doesn’t draw away from it.  I think it actually helps enhance your enjoyment of game.  There’s just something about watching animated people spilling blood and gore around a cartoon landscape in a frenzied motion.  The look of the game is very crisp and clean, everything is colored and shaded extremely well.  Titan does an excellent job of not making the maps appear dull after playing them several times over.

Final Thoughts

Besides the fact that Fat Princess may give you the odd urge to have some cake (as what happened to me), it will entertain you with its witty in-game narration and satisfy any hack and slash cravings you may have.  Overall, Titan Studios did a great job in creating a fun download for the Playstation Network and an enjoyable game for those of us in the gaming community. I hope to see new material from them soon.

Game on!

_Ruben

(Ruben can be reached at gaminganomaly@gmail.com)

Score: 3 out of 5

The Respect:

- Fun, enjoyable gameplay
- 32 Multi-player action
- Great levels and excellent narration

The Disrespect:

- Some lag and gameplay issues
- Long games

Here is the link if you’re not able to view the flash embedded Audioboo below:  http://audioboo.fm/boos/57130-avatar-preview-reactions

This is also our first test into beginning a Respect The Review podcast so we hope you enjoy!

The G.I. Joe popularity apex was a bit before my time I think.  My brother and I were more Spider-Man, Batman, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fans.  Like most burgeoning young chaps around that time though, we did have a few of the Joe action figures and caught the old series on TV every now and then.  Whatever my exposure was, it never really ingrained that “Yo Joe!” love of the franchise unfortunately.  As I walked into the theater excited to see an action movie – but still with mixed feelings after the trailers and TV spots – I kept low expectations to give the film a solid chance.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is the epitome of a cartoon on screen. In deli sandwich terms, this Stephen Sommers directed film is:

2 slices of beginning and ending bread, toasted
15 HEARTY chunks of ridiculous action
2 pieces of fairly rotten dialogue
and 1 slice of cheese (for taste)

The above might be pretty silly but it is completely true.  Action is stacked upon action, which is stacked upon some more action.  There are few breaks as it throws 100% of everything its got at you.  It is really amazing; I still don’t think my eyeballs have recovered yet.  The first big set piece and fire-fight pulled me in like I was 8 years old again; big explosions, futuristic weapons, decent acting up to that point.  And then the rest of the film happened.

Now I really enjoyed scripts plot, withstanding that many a things were simplified or happened coincidentally.  It’s a story that isn’t perfect, but that’s what makes a fun and thrilling action film sometimes.  The practical and CGI effects houses also put out a lot of really fantastic work as well.  But there are moments that honestly made me laugh out loud when I probably shouldn’t have been laughing at all.  During one of the more important points, Channing Tatum as Duke has his acting fail him, which in turn fails us, the audience.  Sadly these aren’t occasional and they happen often with almost every actor, while going double for Marlon Wayans (Ripcord), and Rachel Nichols (Scarlett), and even Dennis Quaid (General Hawk).  On top of that, dialogue written for each role is normally clichéd to the fullest.  Some things are just too much to ask for I suppose?  I’m just glad they didn’t commit movie suicide and have one of the fiercest, coolest characters break his silence.

Luckily there are two solid reasons to try and get past the negatives, and they both happen to be ninjas.  Entertainment is what the movie was built on and the ever silent Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) deliver like it was DiGiorno.  Rivalries are normally enjoyable but there’s no beating pure white and black costumed fighters with swords strapped to their backs.  Snake Eyes is a powerhouse wrapped in an enigma and one of my favorite moments is when we get a quick glimpse at the eyes behind the pure black visor as they loom intently.  Go Joe.

As much hype as there is to be mustered about the fun parts of the film and the spectacle that is intense action, so are there exceedingly painful parts that must be waded through.  As far as a recommendation goes, there are so many other good films out right now to choose from, but G.I. Joe does rise above the title of complete atrocity.  I wholeheartedly give my good graces if you are between the ages of 8 and 15 or are just a total G.I. Joe fanboy.  Or if you love Sienna Miller and Rachel Nichols in leather and tight form fitting body suits.  Other than those demographics, just know you’ve been warned there are many other movies to choose from.

_Gregg

That bit of background on my familiarity with the novels is meant to start off this film review for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  It’s an obvious fact that I’m head over heels for the series, so with bias aside, this is probably the best of as it stands so far.

We’ve seen for a few years now the need to distill each book to its core, as it’s had to fit within that 2 and 3 hour time frame.  With a page count over 650, that job definitely couldn’t have been easy.  Maintaining so many characters and relationships with affection and humor is the crux (…) of this story.  Luckily, I think screenwriter Steve Kloves has been able to capture Ms. Rowling’s intentions pretty skillfully.  There is a lot of emotional build-up in this film and it’s snowballed more so by the aesthetics and tone.  Unfortunately that is where my biggest gripe begins.  The last fifteen minutes of the script are the least impactful emotionally when they should be the greatest.  And I attribute most that to the shrink wrapped script.  There are pieces left out from the book that didn’t need be.  As two of the most important moments of the entire series, the end product could have been unforgettable.  It gets the original message across as it stands but there was potential to be so much more.  Keeping that in mind, the script still is one of the strongest yet, whether fumbling on the 15 yard line or not.

Outside of Mr. Kloves returning, we also have David Yates back in the director’s chair.  Since heading up Order of The Phoenix it seems that he’s had the time to wrap his head around this magical Potter world and its many parts.  There are a lot of really humorous and moving scenes that wouldn’t work if he didn’t grasp this material, and it probably would have ended up much differently in someone else’s hands.  Did I mention being grateful for Mr. Yates’s sense of humor too?  Sometimes scenes would creep into a lulled pace, enhancing the darker state of things, bouncing back just in time with a funny or light moment.

And those comedic or intense moments work because of the performers.  Not a single actor shares a lousy performance here.  The complete opposite actually; we have some of the best showings from all new and returning cast members.  Two of them stood out especially for me: Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter (of course) and Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn.  Mr. Radcliffe is present in full force and really breaks out his talent range, even more so from Order of The Phoenix.  There isn’t more can you ask from someone that continues to better himself and his talent with each opportunity.  I’m pretty stoked for his career after the Deathly Hallows.

We then have Mr. Broadbent.  The man comes out with guns blazing, showing everyone that he is the only Professor Slughorn.  What he brings to the role is absolutely brilliant.  I would equate it almost to the level of what Jackie Earle Haley did for the Rorscach role in Watchmen.  The part was played to the complete satisfaction of my imagination, sans having a mustache and large belly.

With all of those components so in sync, the score was the icing on top of the cake.  Composer Nicholas Cooper brings a real mood-infused sound back for the Half-Blood Prince.  Just like the Order of the Phoenix, the darker tenor of songs fits right in with the material.  Everything from the introduction of the movie to important conversations and action kindled that excited or tense feeling for me.

If you have the chance to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for the first time, or a second or third, there is no need to hesitate.  This summer has had some expected and unexpected flops, luckily this is not one of them.  Be wary that it does focus a fair amount on relationships between teenagers if that isn’t your bag.  Compared to the written novels though, it’s noticeably less.  Two thumbs up, fifteen stars, worthy of your ticket purchase; however you want to slice the pizza.  Go to see this film because it is a quality piece.

_Gregg