Showing posts with label Trilogy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trilogy. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

The Matrix Trilogy

Andy Washowski, 1999-2004 (8.3*)
Interesting concept of an alternate reality based on everyone being plugged into a virtual reality world that they call The Matrix, which seems to be understood and manipulated by Lawrence Fishburne and a small group of rebels. So in effect, they understand that we all live in "binary world" inside some computer reality. However, the rebels are under attack from authorities, naturally, the enemy sent against them is a security agent clone named Mr. Jones (a human personification of an anti-viral security program), and he/they seem to be endless (and perhaps spawned Men in Black, since they look the same in dress).

The key to the reality war seems to be newcomer Keanu Reeves, since prophecies point to someone coming to help them and he shows up. Some of the plot is a little too convenient, but the action and effects keep it all interesting and exciting, and the dark world created is as unique as Blade Runner or Batman – perfect for the video game/mtv world: more action, less thinking. Up a star on special effects alone, in which bullets are slowed down so the target can move aside and watch them go by in slow motion.

Unfortunately the completion of the trilogy isn't as satisfying as the beginning promises. If you like the Washowski Brothers, be sure to catch the more intelligent V for Vendetta.

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Friday, December 12, 2008

The Bourne Trilogy

Roger Young, Paul Greengrass, 2002-07 (9.0*)
This is a nearly perfect series of spy films, with just the right mix of action and deeply complex plot development. Matt Damon has finally found his mark with these films, who knew he would be a perfect Bondish spy with deadly skills and a boyish American charm that you could trust?

The series begins with Bourne Identity, when he awakens in the Mediterranean with amnesia, and we slowly learn the facts of his existence along with Bourne; this dvd has alternate endings. Co-stars Franke Potente (Run Lola Run) as his friend. The second film, Bourne Supremacy, adds the terrific actress Joan Allen as a CIA specialist assigned to bring him in. The third film, Bourne Ultimatum, finds him again battling the agency for truth and identity and freedom. This series is actually more rewarding than the 007 films, which are usually too flippant and self-absorbed to be taken seriously (see my two exceptions reviewed here), yet Bourne also has more action than the realistic John le Carre novels (Spy Who Came in From the Cold, Smiley's People). These three must be seen in sequence, they are all a connected story.

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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

The Spider-Man Trilogy

Sam Raimi, 2002-2006 (8.3*)

The Spider-Man series is another superhero series based on comic books, but what makes this one different is that the superhero is nothing but an ordinary nerdish high school pupil, played by Tobey McGuire (The Cider House Rules). He becomes Spiderman when on a field trip he comes across some bio-engineered spiders, gets bitten, and somehow the DNA becomes involved with his and he becomes a sort of humanoid spider with some radical spider-web skills. This is nothing but pure fantasy, but works very well on an action-adventure level if you don't want to think very much, especially since the special effects are top-notch; it's like a high speed comic on steroids.

The first film uncovers the family history and secrets, and tells us why Peter is living with his aunt and uncle, and introduces James Franco as a best friend, Kirsten Dunst as the childhood romance, and Willem Dafoe as the villain, who uses science and technology to become the Green Goblin. The second in the series is probably the best paced and features an imaginative villain with mechanical arms played by Albert Molina, definitely a science experiment gone bad. The third shows unveils Spiderman's "dark side" and even his uniform changes from red to black, but it's the slowest paced of the three.

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Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Star Wars Trilogy

Dir: George Lucas, Irvin Kirshner, Richard Marquand (1977-83) (8.9*)
These are the original three, though I really only think The Empire Strikes Back was a very good SciFi film; ironically, it was the one whose screenplay was co-written by a SF author, Leigh Brackett. That was the one that introduced Yoda, the land walkers, the ice planet. The first was good, but little more than a western in space. The special effects increased technically with each film, so that in Return of the Jedi we had a full-on space war raging with hundreds of space ships. I can't get used to the "new" titles (A New Hope?) and re-sequencing, so now the "original" three are 4-6, the "new" three are 1-3... Doh! Did Homer work on these? The casting of James Earl Jones as Darth Vader, and Alec Guinness as Jedi knight Obi-won (he admitted the dialogue "was inane") was a brilliant coup, most of the rest are either sleepwalking (Mark Hamill) or overacting (Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher). Still, a lot of fun, if a bit flippant at times. Nearly all technical, but 7 Oscars total

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Sunday, August 31, 2008

Back to the Future Trilogy

Dir: Robert Zemeckis, 1985 (8.8*)
Can you have any more fun in a sf film? The first film stood alone, but then the sequel was so long they split it into two parts, the 2nd now nothing more than an unfinished bridge to the third. Michael J. Fox is a high school kid in the 80’s who has a science professor friend, Christopher Lloyd in his best movie role, always experimenting with mind-blowing machinery. He luck out on one invention however and turns an old Delorian into a time traveling coupe, runnin on garbage or beer using his "flux capacitor". Very funny adventures ensue when Fox is hurtled back to 1955, crashes and meets his mom, Lea Thompson, who takes care of him and develops an immediate crush, jeopardizing her chances with his nerdy dad, Crispin Glover! What are the odds? In this trilogy, pretty good as Fox goes back and forth in the Delorian until he’s in the wild west in part 3… Thomas F. Wilson is perfect as arch-enemy Biff and all his relatives.
Quote: Why don't you make like a tree and get outta here. (Biff)

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Friday, August 29, 2008

Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Peter Jackson, 2003 (10*)

Best Picture (3rd) (AA,BAA,GG)
AFI Top 100

Everyone should know this fantasy trilogy by now. If not, New Zealand director Peter Jackson (Heavenly Creatures) spent nearly a decade filming the J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy trilogy novels (from the 50's), using the best available computer technology. The result is the most ambitious and well-made fantasy films of all time. Even if you were not a fan of the books (and they were pretty boring), these films should excite and amaze everyone interested. They're a little bloody and violent, kinda "old testament wrath of God" type stuff, but that's probably also what made them so popular. Cast standouts are Viggo Mortensen, as the king who returns, Elijah Wood as Frodo the Hobbitt, the bearer of the ring of power; Ian Holm as the Hobbitt, the ring's finder and former owner, Ian McKellan as Gandalf the Wizard, Cate Blanchett as an elfin queen, and Brad Dourif as Gollum, a hobbitt turned monster nearly destroyed by the ring.
The films in order are (1) The Fellowship of the Ring (2) The Two Towers (3) The Return of the King. I would watch the "extended versions", or director's cut, as they are more complete and accurate to the novels and they must be seen in order. Return of the King won all 11 Oscars it was nominated for, a first.

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These are the individual film reviews of what I'm considering the best 1000 dvds available, whether they are films, miniseries, or live concerts. Rather than rush out all 1000 at once, I'm doing them over time to allow inclusion of new releases - in fact, 2008 has the most of any year so far, 30 titles in all; that was a very good year for films, one of the best ever.



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