The Punisher - REVIEW

PLOT: An undercover FBI agent becomes a vigilante assassin and sets out to unleash vengeance upon the corrupt businessman who slew his family.

Based on the Marvel comics, The Punisher follows Frank Castle as the film explains his origin and reason for becoming a vigilante. Though at times The Punisher tries to become more of a mafia film, it still is a decent flick (compared to that god awful 1989 version).

The film itself is well written for its time, however, it feels as if it's a very cheesy mafia film, in which it fails to completely capture the mafia feel. Sure, the music helps, but some of the more influenced mafia lines end up being too cheesy which completely ruins that aspect of the film. Some of the dialogue as well feels weird at times, but nonetheless, it had its own moments to remember (Russian fight scene). Thomas Jane completely kills it as Frank Castle as he proves himself to be the only actor that can portray a good Punisher. The cinematography as well is beautiful, as it captures great landscape shots and silhouettes. Acting overall was decent and the action was decent. The music also was one of the great things for the film. Had the mafia feel not been ruined earlier with some of the writing, complete mafia experience for the film would've been perfect. The musical score itself pays tribute to the classic vibe of mafia-related films.

THE VERDICT - With a few writing problems as well as some choppy editing spots here and there, The Punisher is still a decent Marvel flick. Sad to say though that this is probably the best Punisher adaptation we'll ever get for now.

                                                            The Punisher
                                                  Rating: 6.8 / 10
                                     

                                Thomas Jane - Frank Castle
                                 John Travolta - Howard Saint

The Walking Dead (Season 4, Ep.1 / Ep. 2) REVIEW

Personally, I started watching The Walking Dead last year in the beginning of Season 3 with the whole prison fiasco and thanks to HHN, I now know of the show's existence. Of course, I caught up with Season 1 and 2 just days before Season 3 and I watched Season 3 (awesome season btw) and now here we are! After two episodes, I can honestly say this will be a far more emotional season.

S4 E1: 30 Days Without An Incident
I found the season premiere a whole lot better than Season 3's premiere. Yes it's cool to watch zombies die in awesome ways, but we can use more character story and development for the show, and the premiere this time delivered both awesome zombie kills and character development.

It's been somewhat 6 months after the events in Woodsbury as Rick and the rest of the survivors are shown raising this new community and life in the prison. With more than 30 people living in the prison as a shelter, we begin to see conflicts arise and these conflicts will sure cause quite a stir later on, but unlike previous seasons, we are immediately introduced the main conflict for this season: illness. The premiere as well had its fun moments with the whole zombie store scene as it completely captured the good ol' zombie genre we all know and love, minus some of the bad CGI and special effects. The makeup in the show is always amazing and beautifully as it shows its full glory in that scene.

VERDICT: 30 Days Without An Incident was somewhat a strong opening to what will be a strong season. As each new storyline is established, it's hard to tell what else is to come.   


S4 E2: Illness
Episode completely raises the bar as of now for Season 4. This episode felt like episode 4 of last season (Lori dead, T-Dog bitten). This episode finally showed the main conflict in action (illness). This as well is the first time we ever see the community under attack as we watch how they handle the situation, in which case, isn't handled very well because 15 people died due to a Harry Potter look-a-like getting sick and becoming a zombie. This episode was the perfect way to add on and explain how serious the issue of this virus is and as well, explains a traitor is amongst the group.

VERDICT: With another strong episode, "Illness" continues to proceed with the story adding both suspense and emotional aspects of storytelling.

The Inspiration of HOLDING COMPANY

The idea of the film I'm currently working on (HOLDING COMPANY) came from this...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co4YpHTqmfQ

REVIEW - Linkin Park: The Making of Minutes to Midnight (Documentary)

Minutes to Midnight is the third studio album from the hit Alternative/Nu Metal band Linkin Park. The documentary known as "The Making of Minutes to Midnight" follows the band's progress as they worked on making the album.

The documentary itself was well made as it showed what the band went through as they were developing the album. Starting from writing sessions to meetings to demos and then evolving into tracking (recording) the songs. It as well showed how the band worked and communicated with each other as each band member is interviewed for the documentary. They also showed footage of them having fun working on the record with behind the scenes details at what songs weren't on the final cut. The documentary was well shot and never felt boring to watch as it kept me engaged to the development of the album.


Overall, "Linkin Park: The Making of Minutes to Midnight" is a fun music documentary to watch and get into. It's always fun and interesting to watch how and what goes on behind the scenes of such rock bands and artists today. I highly recommend the 40 minute documentary to anyone who's a fan of the band itself or any up and coming bands or just anyone who likes alternative rock/nu metal in general.

An American Werewolf in London - REVIEW

Yeah, I know, I'm late with a review. Been out of town from a recent media briefing to Halloween Horror Nights 23. Anyway, I'm reviewing one of the films featured at the event!

PLOT: Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.



Directed by John Landis (Animal House), An American Werewolf in London (AWIL) follows a similar plot of Universal's classic film, "The Wolfman". The difference between the two is that Landis aims for more of a "comedic route" in which works perfectly for him. The film itself is a great horror classic, as it serves as one of the best horror films I've ever seen.

Story: Once again, the story somewhat is similar to The Wolfman, only it is told quite differently. The story does a great job at introducing the main conflict and the main protagonist (David). Nothing felt unneeded as the story kept progressing smoothly. It was perfect for what it did.

Cast: The cast in AWIL do an excellent job in their performances. David Naughton (David) does a great portraying his character and the werewolf, but it is Griffin Dunne (Jack) who steals the show as David's friend. Jack tends to be more of the comic relief for the film, and once again, Landis does a great job to blend the comedy with horror as Dunne helps get the job done.

Effects: For its time, AWIL was ground-breaking regarding effects. From Dunne's transformation as Jack, to the werewolf's movement and structure, AWIL did an amazing job pulling off the practical effects of the wolf and Dunne's makeup. Completely incredible.

VERDICT: Overall, An American Werewolf in London is a great, horror classic. It does not suffer from anything at all as the film is perfect in every way. I strongly urge you to check the film out if you haven't!

                                             An American Werewolf in London - 10/10
                                                  Film Released: August 21st, 1981
                                                       Directed by: John Landis


                                                         Written by John Landis

                                                            Starring: David Naughton
                                                                           Griffin Dunne
                                                                           Jenny Agutter

Avant Garde Project

A rough cut of my Avant Garde isn't present because I will be filming out of town this week for the project.

The project itself will focus on the wonders and sights of Orlando, FL. Specifically at Universal Orlando Resort. I will be spending a weekend over there for an event known as Halloween Horror Nights 23. This event will highlight popular licenses such as Resident Evil, Evil Dead, The Walking Dead, and many more.

I will be recording what I see and encounter in my journey. Things that pop out to me will be presented in this Avant Garde (such as scare-actors interacting with guests, rides operating, and shows). Filming begins 9/19 and ends on 9/23.

Insidious Chapter 2 - REVIEW

PLOT: The haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.

      James Wan has made a name for himself in the horror film industry as well as Hollywood itself. With his recent hit, The Conjuring, Wan begins to end his streak of horror films for now (thanks to Fast/Furious 7) with Insidious Chapter 2. Now, usually horror film sequels don't usually follow up with the hype and they fail due to that. With Insidious 2, that is different. Wan continues to show us what lies deep into The Further and proves that there is a good story to be told.

Story - Written by James Wan and Leigh Whannell (both also wrote the first film), Insidious Chapter 2 takes place immediately after the ending of the first film, making it seem as though we never left the universe Wan has created. Insidious Chapter 2 stays faithful to its predecessor with its twists and scares (although the scares in this film weren't as powerful as the first film's scares). What I also loved about the story is its clear and clever connection to the first film, which somewhat ties up "loose ends" and makes the story more intriguing and fun to watch. That being said, the film's story makes the film filled with less scares than the first film. As for the scares itself, Wan continues to execute the perfect "jump-scares" with his added suspension and tension in every quiet scene, similar to what he did in The Conjuring. Wan also added a bit of comedy elements into the story in which ended up being a hit or miss scenario. Some of the comedy did work well while other parts of it were unnecessary as it felt forced or dragged-on.

Acting - Once again, Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne reprise their roles as Josh and Renai Lambert and many other actors who also appeared in the first film returned as well. Wilson steals the show in this installment as we see his character slowly transition from what we knew him as in the first film to something we never imagined him as. As for everyone else, everyone did a solid job portraying their roles. No one felt out of place or annoying at all.

THE VERDICT: Overall, Insidious Chapter 2 is another great entry in the Insidious story as Chapter 2 evolves into one interconnected storyline that works perfectly with the first installment. With the film's ending leaving the doors open for Chapter 3, it's best for Wan to hopefully end the series as a great horror trilogy people will love and remember. Who knows though when we'll ever return to the realm of The Further.

Note- It's highly recommended to watch or re-watch the first film. Seeing Chapter 2 without seeing the first film will ruin your experience.


                                                            Insidious Chapter 2 - 9/10
                                                        Film Released: September 13th, 2013
                                                            Directed by James Wan

                                              Written by James Wan and Leigh Whannell

                                                      Starring: Patrick Wilson
                                                                     Rose Byrne
                                                                     Ty Simpkins
                                                                     Lin Shaye