Nemo: Roses of Berlin

Nemo: Roses of Berlin written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill.

I did not like this book at all. 

It felt rushed and all in all quite unlike a typical Alan Moore story. 

Even the stories of his set in the League world I didn't like have still been slowly paced with great character development.  Even the story set before this one, Nemo: Heat of Ice, had more depth and better pacing than this story.  This story felt more like a mass market version of a League story.  It felt produced by Marvel or DC not written by Alan Moore  This whole story felt rushed as it didn't seem to build on the world-building or mythology making Moore had done previously and what he's known for when he writes.  That's why I think it felt like a Marvel or DC comic it had a very soap opera feel to it that I don't normally associate with Moore.  His writing normally has more depth and better pacing.  He normally makes me care about what is going on but here I just didn't care as I found the story and characters rather dull and boring.

This story was further burdened by the weakness I've come to notice from Moore over the last few stories I've read set in the League world.  Namely his fascination with breasts, sex, and penises that seem to be there for no other purpose than he's writing with a publisher that doesn't have a comic code.  This whole issue has a feel of that one scene from Swordfish when Halle Berry shows her breasts for no other purpose than she wanted to because they didn't further the story nor were of any use of character development.  This issue reeks of that in about every panel. 

Nemo: Heart of Ice

Nemo: Heart of Ice written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill.


This is one of the best stories Moore has written set in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen world.  I didn't so much like his three book set in a specific time periods over the decades and centuries in the League world.  But this story has everything the first League book had and that made it great - passion, adventure, exploration, and good characters.  Moore really took his time crafting the character of Nemo's daughter. 

Exploration is the main theme of this story and Moore uses the isolated barrenness and whiteness of Antarctica to cement this story and the wonders Nemo's crew finds as they travel along the charted map of the original Captain Nemo.  The wonders they find are quite intriguing and have a hint of Ellis' Planetary, which isn't a bad thing by any means.  

The only downfall of this book is that I wished it had been longer - a six or more issue mini-series would have even made it better because then Moore could have explored the main characters even more.  Other than the shortness of the story this is a good addition to the League world and of course this story really let O'Neill showcase his gorgeous art as it perfectly gels with the writing of Moore.

The Bridge: Season 1

The Bridge: Season 1, starring Diane Kruger, Demian Bichir, and Ted Levine.

Not anything of a ground breaking show, but if you like cop shows where they track down a serial killer, than this show fits that mold perfectly.  It's not doing anything new like the HBO show True Detective, but this show knows what it is and doesn't try to reinvent the wheel.

This show follows the detecting abilities of two cops.  One from America, in El Paso, played by Diane Kruger who does some of her best acting as she's given a character with a lot baggage.  Kruger makes the most what she's given as she creates a very complex person.  The other cop is from Mexico, Juarez in perticular, and is played by Demian Bichir.  I thought he did a great job considering his character doesn't have a much baggage as the Kruger's character but is more the normal of the two.   Bichir really made his character come alive despite not have as much to work with as Kurger did.  Of the two Kruger definitely has the sexier role.  Ted Levine does what he always does and plays a perfect character as he proves he's one of the best character actors in the business.

The over all mystery of the serial killer has a Seven kind of feel to it with enough mysterious elements to keep the show moving along through all 13 episodes with ease.  There are three are other stories that play along side the serial killer story.  One of them was as engaging because it wove into the the serial killer story but the other two weren't near as engaging as the serial killer story.  As the season started to wind down one of the stories finally converged with the two cops, this ultimately helped to strengthen that story in leaps and bounds.  I did like how the creators of this show also started to set up their arc and story for season two because as I was watching season one I did wonder how they were going to follow up the serial killer story with a story as strong as it was.  I didn't need to worry because they planted enough clues and seeds that as the season winded down I wanted to watch the next season.  I don't see enough shows that seem to know what they are doing with stories, so needless to say when I do a show that isn't just running blind, I like that and will throw praise. 

Here's looking forward to Season Two.

Rio 2

Rio 2, starring the voices of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Fox

Had a good time watching this with the family but I've got to say I wasn't all that please with the over all story line as it was quite boring considering the movie that had proceeded it.

There just didn't seem to be the same type of character development with these characters as Blue Sky put into the characters of Ice Age.  This movie just seemed to be missing the natural charm of the first movie.  There just seemed to be too many characters bouncing around with nothing to do.  They don't further the story nor do they develop as characters leaving this movie feeling rather stagnant.  Like I said before this is odd because of the great characters they offered up in Ice Age.  I  just don't see how they could make a movie this devoid of development.  A very forgettable film and not looking forward to the next movie.

300: Rise of an Empire

300: Rise of an Empire directed by some guy who I hope was just doing it to receive a paycheck, really only starring Eva Green and a bunch of other people.

A pointless movie that is only saved by the brilliant acting of Eva Green.

Eva Green is the only reason to see this movie.  She rises the worthlessness of everything about this movie and makes it better by just being in it.  Now if only the movie had focused on her character more, than this movie wouldn't have been half bad.  As it stands now this movie only has a beating heart when she is on screen, because when she is absent the movie panders on in a coma state.  But let me tell you when she is on screen she brings her character to life in ways no one thought she would.  She does the same thing in this movie that she did in Dark Shadows - she steals the entire movie out from everyone in it.  Even Jonny Depp didn't have a chance as he has become more a parody of himself than an actor -  but at least he isn't under self delusion that he's something more than he's not.  He knows he just picking up a paycheck and acts appropriately.  I just wish his acting would get better.  Eva Green doesn't seem to care what kind of movie she's in as she goes no holds barred into every character she plays and makes the movie that much better simply by her presence.  She's one of the few actresses I've seen that seems to make any B-movie worth watching simply for the fact she is in it.  There's not too many actors or actresses I can say that about.  

Here's looking forward to the next Eva Green movie.

The Raid: Redemption

The Raid: Redemption written and directed by Garth Evans, starring a lot of Asian actors who all do a great job with what they are given and handle the action scenes with fighting arms and kicking legs.

There's not much story line for this movie as it's basically just an all out action film with little characterization and standard character clichés but as long as you go the movie knowing that you'll have a good time.  I had a good time watching it but still couldn't turn my entire mind off as I watched it.

But I will admit the action scenes are good.  Evans does a great job of not over editing the action scenes but letting the audience actual see the actors  learned choreography - this is how a director is supposed to direct action scenes - without confusion.  They are filmed with great communication and completely over the top and are basically the only reason to watch this movie. 

The main failing of this movie is that it tries to put some twists and turns in the story despite the fact the movie doesn't invest anything in characters or story line.  So when the movie wants to put these types of twist, turns, or character development moments in the movie - they become to much, to late because they didn't have anything in the first to support these types of shifts when they come.  See the movie Die Hard for setting up characters and twists.  Also there really isn't a good villain to drive the action forward and any action movie needs a good villain to reflect the hero, which also this movie doesn't have.  There is no solid hero to root for.

Transformers Age of Extinction

Transformers Age of Extinction directed by Michael Bay, starring Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz, Jack Ryenor, Sophia Myles, and with the voices of John Goodman, Ken Watanabe, Frank Welker, Peter Cullen.

There's not much to say about an action movie directed by Michael Bay.  It's going to be loud and explosive as it functions much like a porn movie.  There will be some plot throughout the movie but what plot there is, is only filler material for the action scenes, in that regard a Michael Bay film is a porn movie where the sex scenes are replaced with action scenes. 

There is no plot to speak of in this movie and if you like action scenes as directed by Bay, you will like this movie because these scenes can go on for 10 - 15 minutes easily and longer as the movie nears it's run time of 3 hours, which is easily one hour to long.  The plot and story line of this movie makes the last three movies look like literary master pieces by comparison - I'm not joking by saying that either.  I could harp on and on about the plot but I figure why do it - this is a Bay film.  If you're looking for plot why are you seeing a Bay film at all?

I didn't go see it for the plot or story - I went to see it to spend time with my wife - who likes Bay films - and I had a good time because I knew what I was walking into before the movie started.  There were plenty of action scenes and plenty of shots of Victoria Secret models who were just in one scene for the sake that they were Victoria Secret model.  I remember one scene were an elevator opened and a Victoria Secret model was standing because I mean of course why wouldn't a Victoria Secret model being standing there in that sort of run down, crumbling building?  There were other shoots of women running, ducking, sitting, or just standing there who just happened to be Victoria Secret models in that one spot when something was needed to be on screen besides a Transformer. 

I will say this for this Transformer movie, it had the best of all the main characters out of the last three movies.  The only characters I remember and really liked from the first three movies are the two military characters played by Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson, other than that the other main character seemed to fall by the way side in leaps and bounds.  Only those movies didn't give those two guys enough scenes to do anything.  This movie had way better characters but didn't give them anything with story or plot to work with otherwise I think this could have been a seriously good movie.

Another question I have is why did the Dinobots only show up at the end of the movie?  Why not have them there sooner and use them to build on the mythology and world of the Transformers?  Question I would love answers to.  This is one thing I've never understood from this series.  Why they never built or even attempted to construct any sort of world building or mythology for the Transformers?  Everything seemed so spontaneous and obviously random.  If they had even attempted to do this I think I could have at least respected the series but not attempt was even made.  I look at the movie Pacific Rim as a good example of world building and creating mythology - yes the movie is cheesy and over-the-top but at least Del Toro attempted to create a real world, just like he always does.