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TRON: Legacy, a review by Critter

TRON: Legacy 2010



Director: Joseph Kosinski

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde

My Thoughts:

I didn't plan on seeing this film, but I ended up going to a screening yesterday as a spur of the moment decision and I am so glad that I did. I saw this in 2D due to a mishap during booking the tickets but I am actually considering seeing it again to experience it in 3D which shows how much I enjoyed it. This movie was fun from beginning to end. Sure this wasn't the most challenging or intricate storyline I have ever witnessed, but with some films it is really more about the visuals and the sound, and this is definitely one of those films.

This film looked amazing and as some of you may know I am a real sucker for films with great animation and visual effects and in that sense TRON really takes the cake. The action scenes here were exhilarating and done very well. Everything was fast paced but unlike some action films with heavy visual effects (most things my Michael Bay) we could actually follow the action and see what was happening here, rather than just blurs of images and sounds. Many people have been praising Daft Punks original soundtrack to this film and I was most certainly not disappointed by it, the sound was amazing and fitted perfectly. I think the director knew that he was onto something with Daft Punks soundtrack as the songs are very prominent throughout the entire film, often quite loud and sometimes flowing from one track to the next making much of the film seem almost like an extended Daft Punk music video. Not that I'm really complaining about that as it just added to the fun and exciting nature of the movie.

While the storyline may not have been the most compelling thing I have seen all year, I was actually surprised by how well-developed the characters were. A few cheesy lines aside, mostly delivered by Jeff Bridges character, I actually found myself caring for the three main stars, especially Olivia Wilde's character Quorra. I was quite pleasantly by her character as when I first saw that Wilde had been cast in a role where she would be in skin-tight clothing the entire time it seemed that she would be used as typical eye-candy for the film, yet her character showed almost more substance than everyone else. We ended up with someone who is strong, highly intelligent, loyal, a good fighter and even more surprisingly someone who posessed almost childlike playfulness about her. It really is hard not to like a character like that.

Garrett Hedlund also gave a great performance as our protagonist Sam. He was also very easy to like and relate to as a character which made viewing this film even better. While I loved seeing this film in the cinema I can see this being something I would not get much rewatch value out of on blu-ray or DVD. In that sense it reminds me a lot of Avatar. Some films are just simply put awesome cinema experiences, the big screen, huge sound all added up to a great film, but in the end the fact that I wasn't really blown away by the story in any sense means I probably won't get as much joy out of this film on a normal TV screen. Either way I recommend this to anyone looking for something fun to see in the cinemas over the Christmas break.

Rating:

(From TRON: Legacy on December 30th, 2010)

Der rote Punkt (The Red Spot), a review by Tom

Der rote Punkt (The Red Spot)

Aki, whose parents died in a car accident in Germany when she was little, is searching for the spot where this happened. She is taken in by a German family which has some family problems.

A German/Japanese co-production with a Japanese director who has lived in Munich for the last 13 years.
I really enjoyed this movie. Also this showing had the nice benefit, that it was attended by most of the film's cast and crew. After the movie they had them all come forward. About ten actors (including almost all of the principal cast) and twenty crew members (director, screenwriter, composer, costume designer,...).

This movie was our last in this AsiaFilmFest. Incidentally it was the one I had chosen and I enjoyed it best of the three I had watched.

Rating:


(From AsiaFilmFest 2008 on November 9th, 2008)

Smallville Marathon #2, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Lana is having a very special bachelor party: She went out bowling with Chloe. But then Chloe witnesses how a young man is kidnapped. When she starts to investigate this, the young man suddenly reappears without having any memory about this incident. Later he dies in an accident. Someone is tagging and killing meteor freaks - and Chloe is probably one of them.

My Opinion: This was interesting. Chloe a meteor freak? Had she really not known? Did she ever used her power? What power is it? That opens a can of possibilities. I also really like to know whether Tobias could see that Clark was different even though he is no meteor freak.

Synopsis: This is the day. The great day. The one day. The day of the Lexana wedding and even Clark is invited. But will they actually go through with it? Two don't want that marriage two happen and two want it to happen. By the end of the day, who will have tried to protect who?

My Opinion: The "Lana finds out" episode. I really liked the idea to show this day from the POV of every character involved. And I am wondering what Lionel's true intention was when he threatened Clark's life. He remains a dubious character whose true allegiances remain to be seen.

And here the key scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvs0JS6bAEw

Funny thing is that I've watched this scene so often that I immediately could spot the (small, yet existent) differences in the dialogue when it is shown from Clark's perspective - and that happened before this scene.
But Chloe's accusation isn't quite true. He has put his heart on the line before (Reckoning) and it got her killed within a day.

Synopsis: Lois seriously needs to write a new article in order to receive her paycheck. Luckily for her she finds Clark's and Chloe's research about a Zoner in the trash can. Soon after she finds herself in the arena of a fight club and there they fight to the death. But her opponent is none other than Clark.

My Opinion: This was the "Wrestling" episode. Another kind of script that is to be found in a number of shows (Star Trek: Voyager's Tsunkatse anyone?), for reasons I do not know.

Synopsis: Lex uses Chloe's mother to influence other meteorite freaks. But she resists and "contacts" her daughter who in turn tries to find her.
Meanwhile Lana learns that her entire pregnancy (which ended in a "miscarriage" a few weeks ago) has been faked. She never was pregnant.

My Opinion: It's fascinating how Lex manages to alienate everyone, even his own wife. It's also fascinating to think about how things could have turned out since Hydro, if Clark hadn't assumed that she was pregnant. Most likely the writers would have found another way to keep them apart.

(From Smallville Marathon #2 on June 21st, 2008)