Special Star Wars edition
Issue 23 / December 2010 / Warez-bb.org
DEADMAU5 HOW HE IS CHANGING THE HOUSE MUSIC INDUSTRY
NETFLIX VS HULU WHICH IS BETTER AND WHY
STAR WARS CELEBRATING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK WITH A DETAILED LOOK INTO THE ENTIRE SAGA
The Scene
CONTENTS ISSUE 23 | DECEMBER 2010
General
03. A World of Words Part 7 05. My Blackberry 07. Netflix vs Hulu 09. Flying Thoughts
Movies & Music 10. Dispicable Me 13. Inception 17. IP Man 20. Sex and the City 2 23. IP Man 2 26. The Kids are All Right 28. The Last Airbender 31. Knight and Day 34. Robin Hood 39. Prince of Persia 43. Toy Story 3 45. Salt 48. Splice 51. Karate Kid 53. Star Wars Saga 79. Redefining Hau5 Music
Tech & Games 81. Halo Reach 86. Minecraft 87. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker 89. Super Scribblenauts
1 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Contents
The Scene
EDITORIAL ISSUE 23 | DECEMBER 2010
Editor ENIGMA Co-Editor .:Nvidia:. Writers Team Leader feenzie Artists Team Leader Surferdud3 QA Team Leader ~EvilBaby~ Writers Team Assistant spiderman120988 Artists Team Assistant Prendy QA Team Assistant Writers kartnite BlueMaxima Scoops jackoneill123 Chalkyman Artists Herinjo grafreak dingo_d Lora --=leon=-AELALFEY Quality Assurance Team LinuxTrance AceR eserfeliz Haplo Thunderstruck druid101 Aerus wedge422 Magazine Team Compiler Surferdud3 Cover Design Surferdud3
Editorial
Hello everyrone! It’s been 2 months since the last issue of the official Warez-BB magazine has been released. Yet, here we are again with another one. Issue 23 is even bigger than the previous release with lots of interesting articles. I would like to thank the entire team for their hard work and dedication. I’m convinced the press team can work completely unsupervised and yet deliver a great issue! Finally, I hope you all enjoy reading this issue. I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all the members of our community a merry Christmas and a happy new year on behalf of the entire press team. .:Nvidia:.
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 2
A World Of Vog Words (Part 7) ue words of t oday cont inued WRITTEN BY Kartz DESIGNED BY Herinjo/Surferud3 Continuing from where we left in the previous issue… So, what makes a vogue word?
Pretty much the same forces that create vogues in clothes, hobbies, dances, entertainment, etc. Someone influential plays it, Madison Avenue (or any equivalent!) runs the word up a flagpole and everybody who’s anybody salutes it!
As explained in the previous issue, we do not feel that such words are merely passing fancies. Most of them are viable, because when used discriminatingly, they often offer us a shortcut in communication. They are able to express in one word what might often have taken three or four words to express as forcefully. They contribute a little something that wasn’t in the word or words they replace.
If you have noticed, most words listed as examples in the earlier issues were “borrowed” from the French. We also looked at other sources such as medicine, et al.
Enclave is one word that tells that an area is an enclosure within alien territory, a landlocked island, a place set apart. (Erstwhile) West Berlin, which is more than one hundred miles inside (erstwhile) East Germany, was probably the most famous territorial enclave.
The word itself comes from the Latin word clavis (key), the root of which we also find in conclave (locked in together with a key), 3 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
clavicle (a bone near the neck, resembling a key), clavichord (the earliest type of stringed keyboard instrument), et al.
Epiphany comes from a Late Greek word meaning appearance or manifestation (epi, upon + phan, show). In literary use, it also means a sudden manifestation of some essential truth or self-discovery.
Other words that contain the Greek element found in epiphany are cellophane, diaphanous fantasy, phantom, phenomenon, sycophant, et al.
Along with proliferate, escalate/ escalation is among the most frequently encountered vogue words. Like echelon, escalate comes from the Latin scala (ladder) and it means “to go up the ladder” higher and higher. It’s a very strong word for increase, heighten, build up.
Hubris is defined in the following excerpt from LIFE ( January 4, 1963):
But in the very pursuit of excellence the Greeks forever overreached themselves and had to suffer for hubris, or excessive pride. “For when arrogance blooms”, wrote the tragedian Aeschylus, “it reaps a harvest rich in tears… and God calls men to a heavy reckoning for overweening pride.”
Put the words excessive pride, arrogance and overweening pride to-
gether and you have a definition of hubris, which is a strong and useful word.
Opt means to choose, often when there are only two choices, as the following excerpt from TIME (August 19, 1963) illustrates:
Since the day when Hitler opted for guns rather than butter, West Germany has known near starvation, austerity, and for the past decade, such heady abundance that it has become the Adipose Society.
Ploy has had a big play recently. It is related to the word employ and is used as a synonym for device, tactic, maneuver (replacing in popularity a former vogue word, gambit).
Guestmanship involves ploys and maneuvers so delicate that most people simply throw up their hands after a few days and say, “Next time we stay home.”
We have even found ploy – with an attached prefix – used as a verb, as illustrated by the following example:
personal favourite of yours truly) which means a lucky discovery made while looking for something else. The most famous example is the discovery of Penicillin (from the mould, Penicillium notatum) by Scottish biologist and pharmacologist, Alexander Fleming.
Today it’s just the happy discovery that is emphasized and the word itself has been a happy discovery for many. A quick Wiki-ing will show that although the word was voted as one among the ten English words that are hardest to translate, it has been imported into many other languages due to its sociological use.
Spectrum has replaced gamut (which ran the whole musical scale from gamma to ut) and has much the same meaning: the whole range or scope. It is often used with broad, as in broad-spectrum antibiotics. Another e.g.:
These children represent the broad spectrum of educational ability, from the severely retarded to the intellectually gifted.
Tendentious means promoting a particular tendency; hence, biased and often controversial.
To outploy them, the Seabees and Cuban workers laid out a circular concrete slab on which they painted the anchor-globe-and-eagle emblem of the Marines in red, gold and white.
Portugal’s mission accused the African-Asian group today of “bare tendentious propaganda” in charging Portuguese atrocities in Angola.
Serendipity is a lovely word (and a
Value judgment often appears as a General
two-word pomposity for opinion. But in philosophical and literary dialogues, it may mean something more as illustrated below:
Professor Carney also said that the word “oligarchy”, which he had used to describe the business leadership, was a neutral sociological term and did not imply a value judgment. To end the current series on Vogue Words of Today, we look at a relative newcomer.
Paradigm is a word whose practice used to bedevil pupils who numbly recited, “I am, you are, he/she is, we are…” or “amo amas, amat” etc. without knowing that they are presenting a paradigm of the verb to be, or of the Latin verb amare, to love. Used otherwise, paradigm means a model, a pattern, an example.
This concludes our Etymological Tour for this edition of theSCENE. We hope you had a good time reading and learning something new. Feedback is always welcome. Stay tuned to the next edition of “A World of Words”, where we shall delve deeper in to the English language. Until next time, stay safe. Have fun.
Indeed, McCarthy has posthumously been made the paradigm of political demagoguery and irresponsibility in the 1950’s.
Quick Quiz: Complete the sentences with the word that best completes the sense. You have the following fourteen words to choose from – arcane, bellwether, charisma(tic), -cum-, enclave, epiphany, escalation, hubris, opted, ploy, serendipity, spectrum, tendentious, value judgment. 1.
The Army did not realize that it was a victim of Communist _____.
2.
Washington, D.C. is a voteless Federal _____.
3.
The income _____ swung all the way from the millions of H. D. Hunt to the pennies of Dallas janitors.
4.
The Board of Education announced that 25% of the children have _____ to go to desegregated schools.
5.
The figures on off-track betting put out by reformers are intended as propaganda and are thus _____.
6.
John Chancellor, head of the Voice of America: It is my intent that we “swing” a little. Under my stewardship, the Voice of America will not drift in to _____ intellectualism or academic pedantry.
7.
One of the most difficult things in the theater is to make convincing a _____ figure like Dylan Thomas, for whom all women seem to be putty and all men willing slaves.
8.
Are the two policies in Vietnam _____ of the war or neutralization the only possibilities?
9.
Literary research is always that way – a blind alley today, a feat of _____ tomorrow.
10. The steel and automobile industries, two _____s of the economy, have been encouraged by a continuous pickup in their business. Solutions to the previous quiz: traumatic, proliferation, viability, syndrome, viable
General
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 4
MY BLACKBERRY REVIEW
M
y Blackberry is the best piece of crap I own. I love it and I hate it. It does almost everything I want, but it does a horrible job of it. It's with me everywhere I go, like a curse. It can handle all of my email accounts, Internet, blahblah-blah “smartphone” blah-blahblah. I have a nice case for it, it's rubber. I got it for free. It keeps the battery cover from flying off when I drop it every day. I think the lady behind the counter gave it to me so I would stop asking questions. I live in North Dakota. I have Sprint. 4G speeds are a long way off for me. I just got air conditioning in my covered wagon so I think I'll have to suffer with 3G a little longer. So, for as long as I have to suffer with 3G, I am going to suffer with my Blackberry. It's an 8530; a black one, in fact. I used to have an 8330. So it would seem that I upgraded, right? I mean, the numbers got bigger, and bigger is better, right? Not always. Don’t get me wrong: my 8530 has some cool features. The email push I get from RIM is definitely a plus for someone with a fixation for communication. I get my emails right away, no matter where I am.
5 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
General
1. I have Internet access wherever I go. I can’t even count the number of times this has allowed me to get the upper hand over my father-in-law in an argument. Wikipedia wins every time, old man. 2. Did I mention the email push? I am always emailing people. Whether it’s for work or responding to friends about camping, I love having my email accounts in my pocket. 3. The camera is sharp. When I use my camera, (when it’s daylight) the pictures and video are nice and clear and using the video camera doesn’t devour my battery like it did on my old phone. 4. The menu is easy to use, easy to customize, and I can hide the icons I don’t need. Plain and simple, the menu is plain and simple. 5. It’s not an iPhone. 6. It has buttons. Remember buttons? Yes, this phone is a true classic with buttons I can touch and push. I hate touchscreen phones and having the full keyboard is quick and easy to use.
8. Countries are banning it. This makes it cool, right? Countries are banning it because RIM (Research in Motion) won’t give up your private info. 9. Wi-Fi is nice. It has Wi-Fi. I know your phone does too, but I like it. The improved connection interface makes grabbing a network very easy. 10. Remember the rubber case the lady gave me at the store? Yeah, it turns out that it’s pretty nice, considering I drop my phone a lot. 11. It makes my wife jealous. I think this is the most important feature. She won’t admit it, but whenever I talk about my phone being able to do something hers can’t, she gets all huffy and mad. 12. The track pad beats the pants out of a trackball any day. It’s like a mini touchscreen in the only place you need it on a phone. 13. I love eBooks. I have a fairly large library of a few hundred books on my phone and seem to read whenever I have downtime. It’s nice to be able to read a book while on a long car ride or sitting in the doctor’s office. In addition, there are a few great readers out for the Blackberry so you have some selection. Why would I spend money on a Kindle when I have my phone to do all the reading I need?
General
1. No flash on the camera. What kind of a moron puts a camera on a phone and no flash? A camera designed to be taken and used wherever you go, whenever you need it, unless you need it at night. Absolutely ridiculous. 2. No Flash Player. The internet is a different beast altogether when you don’t have Flash. Websites and features you take for granted on your PC are difficult to navigate, comprehend, and are sometimes completely inaccessible. “Flash player is coming,” says Adobe. “You need Blackberry 6.0,” RIM says. “Then it will be awesome!” 3. Compared to Android, my apps are crap. Plain and simple. I browse all the awesome apps for the Droid phones and drool. Then I look at my Blackberry and cry to myself. 4. It locks up all the time. I mean, all the time. I have to do a battery pull every day to reset it because apparently, running more than one default app at a time is a big no-no for a phone built for multi-tasking. 5. My browser reminds me of AOL, and I mean the old AOL. The AOL most of you never had the pleasure of DIALING into. Other than the Blackberry browser, my options for browsers are essentially limited to Opera Mini, which is just as bad, and Bolt, which is better, but not by far. 6. I have Sprint. I hate Sprint. I hate a lot of things, but not as much as I hate Sprint. I need to invent a new word for the passionate hate I feel toward Sprint. Guess who the idiot is that just signed a new two-year contract with Sprint so that he could get a new “free” Blackberry with a free rubber case? You guessed it. Did I mention I live in North Dakota? Yeah, we’re pretty limited as to the cell phone companies here. No one is jumping to invest in our market. 7. My reception is crap. I live in the middle of the city. Near a tower. When I sit in my living room, my reception is spotty. When I go into the kitchen, I have no service whatsoever. It’s ten frickin’ feet of difference and I lose two bars of service. My wife is still living in the Stone Age with her 8330 and gets perfect reception all around the house. Man, I hate this phone. CONCLUSION For good or bad, I’m stuck with this thing until we get 4G here in the boonies. Then, I think I’ll have to splurge and get an HTC Evo or something fancy. So if you’re looking for a new phone, this one might not be so bad if you’re in the market for a free phone with a plan. You get what you pay for, I guess. It wasn’t that long ago I was sporting my StarTac flip phone and thinking I was the coolest kid since Zack Morris.
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 6
DESIGN: LORA
7. It makes me cookies if I forget it at home. I’m serious. Chocolate chip.
SO WHY DO I HATE MY BLACKBERRY?
ARTICLE: SCOOPS
WHY DO I LOVE MY BLACKBERRY?
V W
ell, it’s official. Hulu has released their new subscription-based Video-on-Demand streaming service (a while ago, I know). Oddly enough, it’s priced about the same as Netflix. So here I am, a long-time member of Netflix, pondering on what I should do. Should I drop Netflix and try out Hulu Plus? “Let me see,” I say to myself as I look through Hulu’s new releases for the hundredth time this week. First, let me tell you how my family watches TV and movies. We don’t use a TV in the conventional sense. My three year old daughter uses it to watch old Disney movies and the occasional DVD that I rip for her. We don’t have cable, satellite, or even an antenna. We watch all of our TV over the Internet. Why? It’s free; I hate commercials; I hate waiting a week to watch a new episode and I guess I just have a general dislike for cable companies. We use Netflix, Hulu, Fancast, and Slashcontrol for all of our mainstream programming with a few other sites to fill in the gaps. I would rather watch an entire series in one run with no commercials and no waiting than watch the new episode of Lost, and then have to wait a week to find out: Hurley is still fat, they are lost in time again, or find out that John Locke is dead (or is he?). My wife, being very tight with money, only wants to pay for one streaming service. So, now I have to choose: Hulu or Netflix?
The Benefits of Hulu I like the name Hulu more than Netflix. It’s more fun to say. Hulu, Hulu, Hulu. While they don’t have the immense library that their competitor does, I don’t really want to watch ten seasons of McLeod’s Daughters anyway. They have more of what I typically watch and they have the episodes sooner than Netflix. While I don’t really mind because I tend to watch older shows, I know it’s something my wife will nag about.As I said, we use our PC as our family TV so I don’t like to get off the couch to “turn the channel” or advance to the next episode. With Hulu, I have two options to ease my pain. I can use the Hulu Desktop Player and have access to nearly the full library with my remote from the comfort of my seat twenty feet away. I can also use the player in a browser and just let Hulu advance to the next episode for me. It will also play through my queue on its own. Netflix, on the other hand offers me Windows Media Center to play episodes from my 7 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
couch with my remote. Let me tell you: WMC and Netflix don’t play well together. Slow loads, constant crashes, incessant freezing, and more take this option off the table. There is no auto-play for Netflix in any capacity, causing me to get off my lazy apples to click twice, go back and sit down. I am slightly hard of hearing, and even more so when my wife is talking on the phone and typing emails while a three year old girl runs around the room screaming nonsense. Hulu offers me closed captions on nearly every title in the library. Netflix is starting to, but is a long way off. From time to time I find myself pushing my bandwidth to the limit (I wonder why?) and don’t really want to stream in the highest quality available. I may be playing a game and just want to listen to a documentary or news special so I don’t care what the picture looks like. Hulu offers me the choice between three quality settings or to have it chosen based on available bandwidth. This leads me to the major point. This is a big one. Commercials. Yes, Hulu has commercials. I spend an average of two minutes watching commercials per half hour. BUT, on Netflix I spend at least five minutes waiting on this message “Your internet connection has slowed. Please wait while we adjust playback to prevent this issue from happening again.” Then ten minutes later it happens again. I’ll take the commercials over the stalling any day, General
VS Hulu is fairly new to the market, yet it provides nearly all of the features I am looking for and does it very well. While Netflix has been a pioneer in the industry and has certainly become a powerhouse, I believe that it will be Hulu that ultimately changes the way we watch television and movies. Watch for them to do big things in the future. I will lay my predictions down for the readers. Hulu will be the first to offer a live streaming broadcast system for network television online. Hulu, being a joint venture comprised of ABC, Fox, and NBC, will likely begin offering normal television viewing sourced from those networks and the other networks owned by their respective parent companies. I have a feeling others will fall in line if only to stay competitive.
The truth is this. For now I will stick with Netflix and continue using the free version of Hulu supplemented by various other sites. I guess while no service is perfect, I can imagine that Netflix will be catching up very quickly to the features they lack now that they have a real competitor to give them a run for their money. Article by: Scoops
Design by: --=leon=-
The Benefits of Netflix
1. Netflix offers a much larger library of streaming videos than Hulu and is expanding very quickly with an emphasis on television. This gives my wife easy and quick access to more of the titles she prefers to watch. 2. Netflix gives me the option for new releases on DVD. Well this does have its perks and, as my wife likes to watch movies on her laptop, doesn’t like me wasting her HDD with rips, and I don’t like buying blank DVDs. Furthermore, it is nice to have a few new movies in the mail every few days.3. Netflix is an established service. I can be fairly certain that Netflix is going to be around for quite a while. It doesn’t really seem like a benefit when I say it out-loud but it is at a gut level. I’m still a little leery of giving Hulu some money until they polish out some of the kinks. That, and....I still haven’t gotten my invitation yet. General
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 8
Flying Thoughts
Cartoon by : Red Panther
Layout by: Surferdud3
9 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
General
Movie Review
Review of Dispicable Me
Text by: SpiderMan120988 Design by: dingo_d Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 10
Movie Review
W
hen it comes to animation studios, Pixar and DreamWorks Animation dominate the industry but newcomer Universal Pictures enters the fray with their own studio, Illumination Entertainment, founded by Chris Meledandri, who was a former executive at 20th Century Fox Animation for eight years and supervised/produced the popular “Ice Age” franchise. Their first film is “Despicable Me” and there’s a lot at stake for the fledgling studio considering that this is an original feature with no built-in audience so there's a lot of risk involved. Well, it looks like their gamble paid off and although “Despicable Me” does not approach the technical brilliance or the emotional resonance of Pixar, the film is still a hilarious, heartwarming tale with memorable (and cute!) characters that adults and kids can enjoy. Gru (Steve Carrell) is a villain living in a black, foreboding home in a quiet suburban neighborhood. He uses his trusty Freeze Ray to skip the line at the coffee shop and his exploits include stealing the Times Square Jumbotron and the Statue of Liberty replica from Las Vegas. With his good friend, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) and a legion of yellow, pea-sized Minions, Gru plans for his most ambitious crime yet and take the crown as world’s #1 villain by stealing the Moon with a Shrink Ray Gun. Unfortunately, he lacks the necessary funds to build the rocket ship and the local Bank of Evil refuses to give him another loan unless he first obtains the Shrink Ray. Gru travels to a secret laboratory in East Asia and successfully steals the device but an up-and-coming villain named Vector ( Jason Segal) swipes it from him. Vector has made a name for himself by stealing the Great Pyramid and replacing it with an inflatable replica. The Shrink Ray is hidden in Vector’s impregnable fortress, and despite numerous attempts, Gru fails to infiltrate it. However, he sees a group of little girls selling cookies and they managed to get in without any problems. The girls, named Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher) have no parents and live at an orphanage. To help him gain entrance to Vector’s fortress, Gru decides to adopt them but begins to feel conflicted when his new daughters begin to melt his icy heart. “Despicable Me” features a very by-the-numbers and predictable redemptive plot but what saves it from being another run-of-the-mill animated flick is the confident writing and the characters. Much of the focus is on Gru bonding with his adopted daughters rather than the rivalry between him and Vector. The film is ul11 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
timately about acceptance as flashbacks reveal that Gru had big dreams of reaching the moon as an astronaut when he was a child but his mother did little to encourage this, even when he built a prototype rocket ship (based on his macaroni design!). As a villain, Gru wants to be known as the best of the best and have the world look up to him but his exploits are rather small scale and second-rate. Likewise, the girls he adopts are also looking to be accepted into a new family and despite Gru’s initial coldness, they remain optimistic, especially the adorable Agnes. As he spends time with them, Gru begins to find his priorities shift and ultimately learns that he wasn’t born to be the greatest villain but to be the perfect father. In a way, Gru reminds me of the Grinch in that a child helps inspire and transform them into good people. Heavier themes involving adoption and orphans feeling unwanted are glossed over and the film maintains a cheerful, irreverent tone. This is not an inspired tale but children and their parents can easily understand and relate to it.
“Despicable Me” is full of hilarious gags and characters, with the Minions front and center in Universal’s marketing campaign.
“Despicable Me” is full of hilarious gags and characters, with the Minions front and center in Universal’s marketing campaign. The Minions speak in fast gibberish and resemble corn kernels with overalls and one or two big eyes. They are obedient but don’t exactly do much work besides being guinea pigs for Nefario’s inventions (which include a Fart Gun) and cheering Gru on. Apparently, to translate and understand what they're saying during the end credits, you need some Best But tie-in app for your mobile phone. Some gags borrow from Pixar such as the Box of Shame (Cone of Shame from “Up”), which is literally a cardboard box with “Box of Shame” written on it. There are also several in-jokes that only adults will get, such as the Bank of Evil was formerly Lehman Brothers. This drew a lot of laughs from the parents in the audience. The most memorable characters have to be the girls themselves and the littlest one, Agnes, steals every scene with her big cute eyes and ridiculous love for fluffy unicorns. At the amusement park, she sees a unicorn doll and squeals, ‘IT’S SO FLUFFY, I’M GONNA DIE!’ Each girl is distinguished by a certain personality with Margo being the responsible one, serving as caretaker for her younger sisters and Edith as the sullen, less trustworthy type. As for Agnes, if you don't love her then I must question whether you have a heart at all. The CG animation looks smooth and fluid but lacks the impeccable detail from Pixar’s work. Still, the simple colors and style Movies & Music
Movie Review
Review of Dispicable Me
make it pleasing to the eye. The 3D is not as recognize her from the popular Nickelodeon 'eye-popping' as promised and does not add show, “iCarly.” The middle sister, Edith, is anything substantial to the viewing experience voiced by Dana Gaier but there is one scene where Gru crash-lands his rocket ship into the streets of his neighborhood that looked rather impressive. The voice acting is excellent and the cast is composed of SNL veterans or worked with Judd Atapow before. Steve Carrell channels a heavy Eastern European accent that reminds me of Dracula as Gru but along with Russell Brand and Jason Segal, they are virtually unrecognizable from their roles if it weren’t for the opening credits. Will Arnett is the CEO of the Bank of Evil and Kristen Wiig is the orphanage’s greedy mistress, Miss Hattie. Voicing Margo, the oldest sister, is Miranda Cosgrove and some may
Rated PG (Rude Humor and Mild Action)
Directed by: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud
Running Time: 1 Hour & 35 Minutes
Final Rating :
Cast (voice): Steve Carell - Gru Jason Segel - Vector Russell Brand - Dr. Nefario Miranda Cosgrove - Margo Dana Gaier - Edith Elsie Fisher - Agnes Will Arnett - Mr. Perkins Kristen Wiig - Miss Hattie Julie Andrews - Gru’s Mother Jack McBrayer - Carnival Barker/Tourist Dad
Movies & Music
and the youngest, Agnes, by Elsie Fisher. “Despicable Me” was released on July 9, 2010 and received largely positive reviews with a solid 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that it borrowed heavily from Looney Tunes and Pixar but still found the film to be a ‘thoughtful, family-friendly treat with a few surprises of its own.’ Many box office analysts predicted it to come in #1 at the box office but its opening weekend gross of $60 million blew away all expectations for an original property. This success can be attributed to the smart marketing campaign that focused on Gru’s wacky Minions. The theater was mostly composed of parents with their children as expected and everyone seemed to enjoy the film thoroughly. “Despicable Me” may lack originality and the wide range appeal of Pixar’s beloved animated films but it makes up for it with hilarious jokes, cute characters and a heartwarming message.
“IT’S SO FLUFFY, I’M GONNA DIE!”
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 12
OILERS SO IF YOU WANT SP L NA TIO EN INT UN ME SO BE THERE MAY CES. AD THE LAST 6 OR 7 SENTEN TO BE IN THE DARK, JUST RE
The IMAX Experience
T E X T | SPIDERMAN120988 L AYO U T | GRAFREAK
‘T
here’s one thing you should know about me. I specialize in a very specific type of security…subconscious security.’ With the exception of a handful of films, many of this summer’s releases have either been forgettable or outright disappointments. Now, Christopher Nolan unleashes his sci-fi thriller “Inception” and it is nothing short of a mind-blowing cinematic experience. Nolan’s trademarks, which include non-linear storytelling and psychological themes, have come to define his directing style and made him one of the most acclaimed directors of our time. His debut film was 1996’s “Following” but it wasn’t until the cult film “Memento” in 2000 that he starting gaining fame; since then he’s proved unstoppable. Although there were no doubts that “The Dark Knight” was going to be an excellent film and make big bucks, they could not have predicted the impact
13 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
that it would have on comic book movies, which elevated the genre to an art form. So far no other film has ever come close to surpassing it. Nolan’s “Inception” requires two things that are sorely lacking in today’s audience: attention and the willingness to actually think, as this is the only way that you will understand the film, but even then you still won’t grasp all the nuances. Is it too smart for the mainstream viewer? No, absolutely not and for the most part this is Nolan’s most linear film yet. There are memorable action scenes but Nolan is not here just to provide mere entertainment, he wants us to discuss and analyze everything about his film and I have no doubt in my mind that after the credits roll, people will dissect every scene for years to come. In creating a wildly original and difficult idea, Nolan has exceeded all of our expectations.
Movies & Music
In the near future, a new type of corporate espionage has emerged where people skilled in the art of extraction invade the dreams of the rich and powerful to steal their secrets and sell them to the highest bidder. The best is Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his point man, Arthur ( Joseph Gordon-Levitt) but after a botched extraction inside the mind of Japanese businessman Saito (Ken Watanabe), they are forced to go on the run. Unfortunately, Saito confronts them and reveals the he knew what they were trying to do as it was all an audition for a special job he had in mind. He wants Cobb to perform an ‘inception’ where he will plant an idea into the mind of Robert Fischer Jr. (Cillian Murphy), the son of a late corporate rival. If the job is a success, Saito will pull some strings to allow Cobb to return home to his children in the United States. Although an inception is believed to be impossible, Cobb is adamant that he can do it because he has done it before. With Arthur, he gathers a team that includes Ariadne (Ellen Page), the architect that constructs the world of the dream, Eames (Tom Hardy), a forger that can assume any identity in the dream, and Yusef (Dileep Rao), a chemist that produces a powerful enough compound that will allow the team to go deep enough into the subconscious to plant the idea. However, Cobb is haunted by images of his deceased wife, Mallorie (Marion Cotillard) and this puts extreme risk on the mission.
real. While all this can feel like a bunch of psychological mumbo-jumbo, Nolan knows that the subconscious often harbors guilt or regret and this provides the necessary emotional depth that allows us to identify what Cobb is going through. Due to an unknown tragedy that is slowly revealed, his wife Mallorie took her own life and Cobb feels responsible. In a shared dream-state, the guilt uncontrollably manifests as his two children (always without their faces revealed) or his wife, who is locked away in a prison deep in his mind, but sometimes escapes to disrupt and kill anyone shared in her husband’s subconscious. Perhaps the scene that will invite the most intense scrutiny is the ending, which is left ambiguous to the viewer. I won’t reveal what happens but it might leave some viewers dissatisfied with the lack of proper closure but not everything needs to have an ending; some stories just work better when all of it is left up to the imagination.
“Inception” is incredibly difficult to describe in words but in rough, simple terms it boils down to being a heist film. The first half establishes the rules of the dream-world and our anchor is Ariadne. Anything is possible in constructing the dream and the laws of reality and physics can be subverted, but the more you manipulate the dream the more that person’s projections, physical representations of the subconscious notice and try to drive you out, much as a white blood cell drives out foreign objects in your body. Dying in the dream merely wakes the person up but as you go deeper in the mind (dream within a dream), you get so far that death traps you in some sort of limbo, a state where you can no longer discern what is and what isn’t real and so do not feel compelled to escape unless by sheer willpower. In order to keep the person’s reality in touch they hold a personal ‘totem’ that serves as a reminder that what they are seeing in the mind is not real and to escape from the dream, you need a ‘kick’ which is a stimuli that includes a simple smacking to falling into a tub of cold water (or a rain drenched river). What happens outside of the dream is manifested in logical ways such as falling through the air produces a weightless environment. While all this is told to the viewer, it never feels as if Nolan is pandering to the lowest common denominator and you do have to use that brain of yours to grasp what is being shown, especially when there are dreamswithin-dreams and how they all interact with each other. Aspects of time and reality are also explored as mere hours in the real world can span decades in the subconscious and that spending too much time in dreams comes with the side-effect of losing your grip of what is and isn’t
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 14
Always impressive is the cast that Nolan manages to bring together and he has assembled an excellent team of thespians. It’s amazing how Leonardo DiCaprio has grown from being just another pretty face to one of the most serious actors today, taking on one challenging role after the other. As Dom Cobb, the conflict his character must resolve is similar to Teddy Daniels from “Shutter Island.” He bears the full weight of his guilt like Atlas holds up the heavens but he is unwilling to come to terms and face it. In order to succeed in the job and see his children again, he has to confront why he did what he did to move on. The story revolves around Dom and as such, the secondary characters aren’t developed beyond their functions in the mission. While they could’ve given a lazy performance to cash-in a paycheck, they do not and utilize all their talent to develop their roles, even if they are not the focus. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the point man, Arthur, who shares a friendly rivalry with the suave Eames, played by Tom Hardy. You may recognize him as Praetor Shinzon from “Star Trek Nemesis.” Ellen Page serves as our window to how the dream-world operates as the young college student Ariadne. Cillian Murphy is Robert Fisher Jr. and it is clever to see how Cobb’s team uses the strained relationship he has with his father to fake his epiphany to break up the company to prove he’s his own man. As Cobb’s deceased wife, Mallorie is Marion Cotillard, who is
15 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
obsessed with trying to keep her husband trapped in limbo for reasons unknown. Ken Watanabe is Saito, a greedy captain of industry and this line of thought leads us to realize that all of these people are out to ruin another man’s life but they are not evil, not in the traditional sense, just flawed human beings like you and me. Playing small roles are Michael Caine as Miles, Cobb’s former mentor, and Tom Berenger as Robert’s godfather, Peter Browning. The action in “Inception” can be described as bearing a similarity to “The Matrix.” The mind can be trained to mentally fight off invaders and this is manifested as gun-toting mercenaries. There’s an intense car chase through rain drenched streets that continues throughout the film and also the heavily-advertised zero gravity fight between Arthur and Fisher’s projections. By the end, Nolan is juggling four concurrent dream states from the car chase, Arthur in the hotel, the large shootout at a snowy base at the top of a mountain, and the apocalyptic limbo that Cobb’s wife inhabits. Any other director could’ve botched it but all of it comes together and feels in sync, like a symphony. The use of CG is kept to an absolute minimum and Hans Zimmer delivers with another excellent score.
Movies & Music
“Inception” was released into theaters on July 16, 2010 in conventional and IMAX theaters. The hype for the film has been incredibly intense and Nolan has delivered with an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. Barring a few contrarians (Armond White) critics called it ‘smart, innovative and thrilling…that rare summer blockbuster that succeeds viscerally as well as intellectually.’ However, don’t expect a huge weekend opening like “The Dark Knight” because the film is a hard sell to Middle America who is more used to easily digestible fare like the child-like shenanigans of Adam Sandler. Initial tracking was around $50 million so that’s the worst it can do but I’m going for an optimistic $70 to $80 million. With strong word-of-mouth, expect “Inception” to hang around the top five for weeks to come as it does not seem like any other film will match it in terms of hype or scope. Ebert closes his review by saying that ‘the movies often seem to come from the recycling bin these days: sequels, remakes, franchises. “Inception” does a difficult thing. It is wholly original, cut from new cloth, and yet structured with action movie basics so it feels like it makes more sense than (quite possibly) it does.’ Christopher Nolan loves making films and the reason why people love him is because he engages the audience in an intelligent manner while his detractors just fumble around struggling to grasp his concepts. He is not here to provide just entertainment but to make you think and this is
why I watch movies, because it is not enough to just throw millions of dollars for a bunch of meaningless special effects. Movies should make you come home and dissect what the director is trying to convey. That’s not to say that there’s no place for mindless flicks but there’s a reason why films like “Inception” are critically acclaimed. With that in mind, run and go see “Inception” because I doubt anyone would come as close to exploring dreams the way Nolan has. With Hollywood plagued by unoriginality and obsessed with making profit, this is the only man left who is willing to take the risks necessary to tell a story.
“Dreams feel real while we’re in them. It’s only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange.”
FINAL RATING :
Directed by Christoper Nolan Rated PG-13
(Sequences of Intense Action and Violence, a Scene of Sensuality and Language)
Running Time: 2 Hours & 28 Minutes Cast Leonardo DiCaprio Joseph Gordon Ellen Page Tom Hardy Ken Watanabe Cillian Murph Marion Cotillard Dileep Rao Michael Caine Tom Berenger Pete Postlethwaite Movies & Music
Dom Cobb Levitt-Arthur Ariadne Eames Saito Robert Fischer Jr. Mallorie ‘Mal’ Cobb Yusuf Miles Peter Browning Maurice Fischer WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 16
MOVIE REVIEW
IPM
RELEASED 1 2
Rated R (Violen
Running Time:
Cast: Donnie Yen - Ip Simon Yam - Ch Lynn Hung - Ch Lam Ka - Tung Fan Siu - Wong Xing Yu - Zealo Wong You-Nam Chen Zhi Hui - M Calvin Cheng Hiroyuki Ikeuch Shibuya Tenma
Directed by Wil
17 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Movies & Music
Written By: SpiderMan120988 Designed By: Prendy
MAN
october2010(US) 2 october 2009(UK)
nce)
: 1 Hour & 46 Minutes
p Man how Ching-Chuen heung Wing-Sing - Li Zhao g - Jin Shan Zhao ot Lin m - Shao Dan Yuan Master Liu Chow Kong-Yiu hi - General Miura a - Colonel Sato
ilson Yip
N
owadays, it’s hard to find theaters showing foreign films. This is because the profit margin for Hollywood is often miniscule or nonexistent. The highest-grossing foreign film was Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” released in 2000, which grossed $128 million domestic and $214 million worldwide. Of course, they could just release these films for the sake of cinema, but it’s a business, and the goal is to make money. That is why, every summer, they throw millions of dollars at films that feature excessive visual effects while the qualities that make a film good (such as story and character development) are pushed aside. Don’t get me wrong, there are still excellent films being made by Hollywood, but too often, they settle for adequate entertainment or franchises rather than taking risks, and it looks like they’re paying the price this summer. If you’re turned off by this summer’s offerings and crave some foreign cinema, look no further than the New York Asian Film Festival which began on June 25 with the North American premiere of “Ip Man 2.” However, it wouldn’t be proper for me to review the sequel without reviewing its predecessor, “Ip Man,” released in Hong Kong on December 19, 2008. I would not be surprised if you’ve never heard of Ip Man since American audiences are weaned on special effects. Ip Man (1893-1972) was a grandmaster of the martial art form Wing Chun, whose students include the acclaimed martial artist/filmmaker Bruce Lee. The creation of Wing Chun is surrounded by myth and legend, the most famous being the story of Yim Wing Chun, who refuses a local warlord’s marriage offer. The warlord agrees to rescind the offer if she can beat him in a martial arts duel. She requests a Buddhist nun named Ng Mui to train her to defeat the warlord. Yim Wing Chun would go on to teach her husband, Leung Bac-Chou, the style, and it comes to be named Wing Chun, after his wife. There is a misconception that since Wing Chun originated from a woman, it is derisively called ‘sissy kung fu’ but after watching “Ip Man,” it’s anything but sissy. “Ip Man” may take quite a few creative liberties and does not delve too deep into the man himself, but it is a rousing, action-packed martial arts film, one that you can’t help but applaud when the final punch is thrown. Ip Man (Donnie Yen) lives in 1935 Foshaan where various martial arts schools recruit students and engage in friendly competition with each other. Although the citizens of Foshan consider Ip Man, who practices Wing Chun, the most skilled martial artist in Foshan, he
Movies & Music
does not take any disciples and largely keeps to himself. Being independently wealthy, Ip Man spends most of his time at home training, sparring with other martial arts masters or spending time with his family. When an aggressive Northerner named Jin Shan-Zhao (Fan Siu-Wong) arrives to challenge all the martial arts masters in Foshan, Ip Man effortlessly puts him down. Ip’s idyllic world is shattered in 1937 when the Japanese invade, sparking the Second Sino-Japanese War. The soldiers seize Ip’s home and turn it into their headquarters, forcing Ip and his family to live a meager existence in a rundown home. When his wife becomes sick, Ip decides to look for work and ends up as a laborer at a coal mine. Meanwhile, the Japanese, led by General Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), who is skilled in the art of karate, holds tournaments where Chinese martial artists would try to defeat his military trainees in exchange for bags of rice. Ip initially wants no part of it but when one of his friends doesn’t return, he decides to investigate. At the arena, he sees a former colleague of his, Master Liu (Chen Zhi Hui) battling with three opponents but when he surrenders, he is suddenly shot by Miura’s second-in-command, Colonel Sato (Shibuya Tenma). Enraged, Ip Man enters the arena and demands to battle with ten opponents at once. He defeats them all and impresses Miura, who seeks to learn more and see him fight again. However, he soon grows impatient when Ip does not return to the arena and orders his soldiers to find him. They capture his friend, Chow Ching-Chuen (Simon Yam) and his factory workers, forcing Ip to intervene. Miura extends an offer to Ip: train his soldiers in Chinese martial arts but Ip defiantly refuses and instead challenges him to a duel, leading to a final showdown that will decide the fate of Foshan.
“I would not be surprised if you’ve never heard of Ip Man since American audiences are weaned on special effects. “ The story of “Ip Man” is a celebration of Chinese unity and nationalism but suffers from being too predictable, keeping us at arm’s length about Ip Man. We know that he is modest, polite, and exceptionally skilled but beyond that, we learn little about his personal feelings or motivations. Ip and his wife’s interactions are surprisingly chaste and though there is a playful sense of mutual understanding between them, we never really feel that they are in love. The villains are two-dimensional, with Sato made out WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 18
to be a sadistic bastard. Although Miura doesn’t fare better, he is given some depth when he refuses to shoot Ip as this would be too easy and the same as admitting defeat. Although it is true the Japanese committed many atrocities against China, their depiction has become somewhat of a cliché, like the Nazis in video games. Despite its story deficiencies, “Ip Man” is inspirational and no doubt you’ll applaud numerous times as he opens up a can of kick-ass! What’s ironic is that the film preaches non-violence as Ip refuses to be provoked into needless fights unless they threaten his loved ones. This is what makes the film great: the fight scenes, which were choreographed by famed martial artist Sammo Hung. Not twenty minutes in, Ip trades friendly blows with a fellow master and being the gracious host, helps him up. When Jin Shan-Zhao shows up in his home, Ip initially refuses to fight out of respect for his wife but she tells him not to break anything in the house. Afterwards they engage in a furious duel and Ip defeats Jin with the symbol of child discipline, the feather duster! The highlight is when an angry Ip goes through the gauntlet against ten of Miura’s military trainees and he beats them all, breaking their faces, arms and legs. Ip also faces Jin again when he extorts his friend’s factory workers and the final battle is everything you’d hope it to be, but it ends too quickly. No expense is spared in re-creating 1930s Foshan, from the architecture to the costumes. The acting is good for the most part, and Donnie Yen is convincing as the famed grandmaster. He reminds me of Keanu Reeves as both exude a sense of coolness but Yen is capable of showing some depth, giving a wry smile when he shows off his skills. Unfortunately, the script handicaps him in exploring the more personal side of Ip. He makes up for it in the fight scenes and it IS him doing all the moves. Yen spent months learning Wing Chun and stayed in character even when not filming. His dedication to his craft recalls Christian Bale, who drastically lost weight for his role in 2004’s “The Machinist.” American fight scenes are full of lookalike stunt doubles but in Hong Kong, every actor does it himself. The supporting cast does not make much of an impression with the exception of Lam Ka-Tung as police inspector Li Zhao. Li eventually serves as in interpreter for the Japanese and is viewed as a traitor by his people. Lam does a great job of initially trying to rationalize his actions but eventually redeems himself in the end. Simon Yam is Ip’s good friend and businessman, Chow Ching-Chuen, but his performance is too subdued. Lynn Hung is Ip’s wife, Cheung Wing-Sing, and although she has an emotional scene near the end, she doesn’t have much to do besides scolding her husband for fighting in the house and not spending enough time with his son. Rounding out the cast 19 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
is Xing Yu as Lin, an owner of a local teahouse, Wong You-Nam as Shao Dan Yuan, Lin’s younger brother who later joins Jin’s band of thugs, and Hiroyuki Ikeuchi as General Miura, the main villain who bears an uncanny resemblance to Wentworth Miller. “Ip Man” was released in Hong Kong on December 19, 2008 and received critical acclaim. The film was nominated in twelve categories at the 2009 Hong Kong Film Awards but only won two, Best Film and Action Choreography. It also won in the latter category at the 2009 Golden Horse Awards. “Ip Man” has grossed $22 million worldwide but was never given a release in the United States. Luckily, I managed to catch the film during the New York Asian Film Festival at the Walter Reade Theater, part of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Although that was the only screening, it is already available on DVD and Blu-Ray. “Ip Man” may not impress as a biographical film, and those looking for an in-depth look will probably have to wait for Wong Kar-Wai’s take, it exceeds all expectations as an action-packed martial arts film. This is action with substance, something that Hollywood has sadly lost under the flurry of special effects.
Final Rating:
“Although martial arts involves armed forces, Chinese martial arts is Confucian in spirit. The virtue of martial arts is benevolence. You Japanese will never understand the principle of treating other people as you would yourselves. Because you abuse military power, you turn it into violence to oppress others. You don’t deserve to learn Chinese martial arts.” Note: In Cantonese and Japanese with English subtitles.
Movies & Music
B
eing a film critic is hard since you have to slog through a lot of films that end up being total crap. This is one of those times. “Sex and the City 2,” the sequel to the original 2008 hit and based upon the popular HBO series created by Darren Star, was released into theaters on May 27 to get a jump start on the Memorial Day weekend. I spent the past few days debating whether to review the film or not, but I decided to suck it up and get it over with besides if I don’t do it now, I’ll end up watching it on Blu-Ray. Besides, it’s not like things could get any worse, right? Oh how wrong I was, because “Sex and the City 2” is much, much worse than the original. The main characters are more shallow and narcissistic than ever, spending obscene amounts of money on possessions that could feed a third world country and the plot simply does not exist, or what little there is cannot sustain its bloated two-hour-and-thirty-minute running time. It’s also borderline racist! Two years after the first film, Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) is happily married to her on-again/off-again boyfriend, Mr. Big/ John James Preston (Chris Noth). However, she fears that they might turn into a ‘boring married couple’ when she finds that her husband would rather spend his time sitting on the couch watching old black-and-white movies than painting the town red. As for Carrie’s friends; Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall), now 52, is desperately fighting menopause, and in an attempt to keep her libido alive is taking a ridiculous amount of drugs. Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) is having trouble taking care of two little girls, one of which won’t stop crying, despite the help of a nanny who insists on going bra-less. She is also afraid that her husband, Harry Goldenblatt (Evan Handler) might cheat on her. Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon) is faced with a boss that is dismissive and insulting at her law firm. To try and get away from the stress, Samantha manages to book a trip to Abu Dhabi where she meets an Arab sheikh who wants her to do a public relations campaign for his hotel. While in Abu Dhabi, Carrie meets an old flame, Aiden Shaw ( John Corbett) and finds her feelings conflicted between him and Mr. Big.
“We made a deal ages ago. Men, babies, it doesn’t matter. We’re soul mates!” Let me first say that this movie is incredibly long; in fact, I found myself having aged significantly once the credits finally rolled. There is no plot in “Sex and the City 2.” As bad as the first film was, at least it provided a sense of closure to the main characters. Unfortunately, its box office success all but assured a sequel and you can thank women for that. There is something about how an idealized marriage differs from reality and the hardships of motherhood, but everything is muddled and the resolution ends up relying on juvenile jokes that insult another culture. In fact, none of the characters ever exhibit any real growth at all as they are still the same shrill harMovies & Music
CITY
2
Rated: R (Some Strong Sexual Content and Language) Running Time: 2 Hours & 26 Minutes Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker - Carrie Bradshaw Kim Cattrall - Samantha Jones Kristin Davis - Charlotte York Cynthia Nixon - Miranda Hobbes Chris Noth - Mr. Big/John James Preston John Corbett - Aidan Shaw Liza Minnelli - As Herself Penélope Cruz - Carmen Garcia Carrion Miley Cyrus - As Herself David Eigenberg - Steve Brady Jason Lewis - Jerry ‘Smith’ Jerrod Evan Handler - Harry Goldenblatt Willie Garson - Stanford Blatch Mario Cantone - Anthony Marentino Lynn Cohen - Magda Raza Jaffrey - Butler Guarau Alice Eve - Erin Max Ryan - Rikard Spirit Joseph Pupo - Brady Hobbes Alexandra and Parker Fong - Lily York Goldenblatt Directed by: Michael Patrick King WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 20
Movie Review
SEX
AND THE
Movie Review
pies that we met in the original film. In economics, we’re categorized as consumers and boy, would corporations wish we were like these four women! They only live to consume and they are so obsessed with the notion of wealth and youth that it is frankly disgusting. At one point, Carrie narrates that due to the current financial situation, they had to move to a different apartment but they still reside in the same building. One would think that this apartment would be smaller and have less furniture but it looks like it leaped out of some architecture magazine. Hell, they just moved from a penthouse to a suite on a different floor, and this suite has a walk-in closet of shoes and clothes! On top of that, Carrie still owns her original apartment! When Mr. Big puts out the idea that maybe they should spend two days apart a week, Carrie asks, ‘Am I just a bitch wife who nags you?’ I wanted to scream out ‘YES!’ but then again the opposite sex greatly out-numbered me and the other males who were at the theater had girlfriends so they would most likely NOT come to my rescue. The other main characters have flimsy subplots that either go nowhere or are hastily resolved at the end. Miranda ends up quitting her job midway, but I wouldn’t care less if she jumped off a building. Charlotte is still the same bubbly self, and I don’t think I saw her blink even once. While making cupcakes with her little girls, Lily dips her hand in strawberry topping and plants her hands on her mother’s butt. She screams, ‘My vintage Valentino!’ and locks herself in the closet to cry. To quote Roger Ebert, ‘Any mother who wears her vintage Valentino while making muffin topping with her kids should be hauled up before the Department of Children and Family Services.’ Finally, Samantha is still the same old whore, only this time she’s popping pills to keep her engine running. Her obsession with youth means she has never matured. The subplot with Carrie meeting her old boyfriend Aiden was heavily advertised but nothing ever comes of it; it is basically a retread of Miranda’s predicament on the first film. Once the foursome reaches Abu Dhabi (actually filmed in Morocco), we spend five minutes being shown around a hotel where the price tag is $22,000 a night. You know how many starving children you could feed with that type of money? They also constantly take jabs at the local women who are covered in veils and use every opportunity to flout that country’s customs. By the end, Samantha sparks an incident involving indecency (what a surprise!) and the women are forced to get home quickly or they have to fly in coach! They are helped along by a group of local women who reveal that underneath their clothes, they wear designer clothing. At this point, I wish a nuclear bomb exploded and the world turned into Fallout 3. As you can see, “Sex and the City 2” is just filled with random events that all add up to absolutely nothing. It’s mind-boggling that they wasted $95 million ($10 million on just the clothes!) on this steaming pile of garbage. The comedy is largely juvenile but what’s even worst is that the female audience actually found it funny. Maybe it’s a good thing that I’ll never be able to find a girlfriend. When Samantha meets a Danish businessman named Rikard Spirit (she calls him Dick Spirit because it’s so f*cking hilarious) she yells that she has found the ‘Lawrence of my labia.’ Oh and there are numerous male crotch shots because God knows we can’t get enough of those! The film opens with a rather lavish gay wedding but I’m surprised no one found this offensive because it relies so much on stereotypes. Even Liza Minnelli (Ebert calls her the ‘patron saint of gay men’) makes an appearance, singing Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” Mi21 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Movies & Music
Movie Review
randa notes that Liza manifests due to the excess gay energy. If I can point to one part that was actually watchable, I would have to say it is when the four ladies sing “I Am Woman” at a karaoke. If you notice that I haven’t mentioned anything about the acting, it’s because it will be pointless. The performances are practically the same from the original film. The men make little to no impression and I wondered why they bothered to make an appearance at all. It’s shocking how withered Sarah Jessica Parker looks; even Kristen Davis looks at least ten years longer. “Sex and the City 2” was released into theaters on Thursday so it can get a jump on the Memorial Day weekend but I don’t believe it has actually helped. The film has made $27 million over the course of two days, when the original made that much on one day. It looks like it’ll be neck-and-neck with “Shrek Forever After” but I stand by my prediction that it’ll end up as #1 with around $60 million and then drop hard the next week. Reviews have been overwhelmingly negative with 15% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics felt that it was ‘straining under a thin plot stretched to its limit by a bloated running time.’ Since I was most likely the only male going on my own free will, I skipped the ticket booth and brought my tickets at the machine to avoid any weird looks. As I waited for the film to start, I avoided any eye contact with anyone and just buried my face in this month’s PC Gamer. To be honest, everyone puts too much emphasis on what a man or a woman ‘should’ watch, and when one steps outside the comfort zone, he is ridiculed, but it takes a real man to write about it. Long-time fans will enjoy this latest installment because they can’t be bothered to think straight but “Sex and the City 2” reminds me of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” taking all the bad of the original and amplifying it by a thousand. This is without a doubt one of the worst, if not the worst, film of 2010.
Final Rating:
0.5 out of 5
WRITTEN BY SPIDERMAN120988 DESIGNED BY LORA
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 22
MOVIE REVIEW
IPM RELEASED
Not Rated (Vi
Running Time
Cast: Donnie Yen - I Sammo Hung Lynn Hung - C Huang Xiao M Kent Cheng Fan Siu-Wong Pierre Ngo - L Calvin Cheng Simon Yam - C Charles Maye Wallace Darren Shahla Jiang Dai-Yan
Directed by W
23 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Movies & Music
Written By: SpiderMan120988 Designed By: Prendy
MAN2 28January2011(US)
iolence)
e: 1 Hour & 48 Minutes
Ip Man g - Hung Chun-Nam Cheung Wing-Sing Ming - Wong Leung Fatso g - Jin Shan Zhao Leung Kan - Chow Kong-Yiu Chow Ching-Chuen er - Police Superintendent
avi - Taylor ‘The Twister’ Milos n - Bruce Lee
Wilson Yip
Movies & Music
B
efore the original “Ip Man” was even released, producer Raymond Wong was keen on making a sequel with the story focusing on a young Bruce Lee training with the famed Wing Chun grandmaster, Ip Man. Unfortunately, negotiations with Lee’s descendents were unable to be finalized and this was abandoned. “Ip Man 2” was released on April 29, 2010 in Hong Kong and had its North American premiere on June 25, with Sammo Hung and Simon Yam attending, kick-starting the New York Asian Film Festival. The sequel ups the ante with the visceral fight scenes but the story is rather uninspired since it rehashes too many plot points from the original film. “Ip Man 2” may not surpass its predecessor, but it is still an exciting film to watch and despite its flaws, it is a worthy follow-up. After defeating General Miura in Foshan, Ip Man (Donnie Yen) and his family flee to Hong Kong to escape Japanese retaliation and start a new life with the help of his good friend, Chow Ching-Chuen (Simon Yam). In 1950, Ip Man decides to open up a school to teach others of Wing Chun and with the help of a local newspaper editor, Leung Kan (Pierre Ngo), manages to find a suitable location. Unfortunately, after eight days of waiting, no students arrive and with no source of income, he struggles to support his son and pregnant wife, Cheung WingSing (Lynn Hung). On the ninth day, a young man named Wong Leung (Huang Xiao Ming) comes to the school and promptly challenges Ip Man to a fight but he is soundly defeated. Humiliated, he runs off and returns later with his friends, who gang up on Ip Man. Despite their greater numbers, Ip defeats them all easily and impressed by his skill, Leung and his friends pledge to be the grandmaster’s first disciples. One night, Ip comes upon a man stealing food and is shocked to realize it is his old friend, Chow Ching-Chuen. Ching-Chuen’s son, Chow Kong-Yiu (Calvin Cheng), reveals that his father suffers from brain damage after being shot in the head by a Japanese soldier. As a result, he has no recollection of family and friends, and is living in Hong Kong as a beggar. Meanwhile, Leung is posting leaflets advertising Ip Man’s Wing Chun martial arts school when a group of students from a rival school rip up the leaflets. Leung gets into a fight with them but loses and is taken hostage in the hopes of ransoming him to Ip Man. Ip arrives at the fish market as he is told, but the rescue goes awry with him fighting with a growing angry mob. Suddenly, the former thug Jin Shan Zhao (Fan Siu-Wong) rushes in and manages to quell the chaos. The rival school’s master, Hung Chun-
Nam (Sammo Hung) demands to know what is going and upon learning that Ip has opened his own school, informs him that he cannot without his permission. To gain that, he has to battle with all the other kung-fu masters in Hong Kong. Before Ip can agree, he is arrested along with Leung and Jin by Fatso (Kent Cheng) but they are able to make bail. At the meeting with the other kung-fu masters, Ip easily defeats the first two but the third duel, with Hung, ends in a stalemate. Hung allows Ip to run his school as long as he pays the protection fees, which are bribes that go to a corrupt British police superintendent named Wallace (Charles Mayer). Ip Man refuses and Hung causes trouble for him by sending his students to harass anyone interested in learning Wing Chun. As a result, Ip is forced to relocate and angrily confronts Hung. They engage in a rematch but are interrupted by Hung’s wife and children. Ip leaves but asks him whether it is more important to fight him or spend time with his family. The next day, Hung makes peace with Ip by inviting him and his students to a British boxing match. At the event, the boxing champion, Taylor ‘The Twister’ Milos (Darren Shahlavi) openly mocks and attacks the students. Hung demands an apology but Twister challenges him to a fight. To defend his culture’s honor, Hung accepts but he is beaten to death when he suffers an asthma attack. This enrages the Chinese and Wallace attempts to do damage control with Twister accepting any challenge. Ip Man accepts in order to preserve the honor and integrity of his culture and countrymen.
“Ip Man 2 may not surpass its predecessor, but it is still an exciting film to watch and despite its flaws, it is a worthy follow-up. “ There’s a lot more going on in “Ip Man 2” but the general structure of the plot remains the same as in the first film. This makes the sequel suffer from the same problems as the original, in addition to rehashing its major plot points. There’s a lack of danger in this film as Ip Man is fighting to uphold the integrity of his culture, while the first one he was fighting to survive when the Japanese invaded. The sense of Chinese nationalism continues to permeate, and many morals that are central to our way of life are touched upon, such as self-cultivation. Ip explains to Leung that you don’t learn kung fu just so you can beat people up; you learn it for the sake of bettering WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 24
yourself. Ip also delivers one final message that no one race is better than the other and the only way we can respect each other is to learn from each other. British colonialism is also explored as Hong Kong was a British colony before being returned to China in 1997. The main villain is Taylor ‘The Twister’ Milos, whose ignorance and racist attitude is portrayed in a cartoonish, over-the-top manner. At least Miura had some honor (however little); this guy has none at all! Still, the perception of Chinese people as being physically or socially weak by the West is very real and this exists even to this day. I’m not saying everyone has these prejudices, but I would be lying if I said that people have transcended racism. Everyone has just gotten better at hiding their prejudices. The final fight bears a strong resemblance to “Rocky IV” and it’s a shame the script is uninspired. These problems are hard to ignore but “Ip Man 2” still ends on a strong, inspirational note. One aspect where the film exceeds all expectations is the fight scenes and they are beyond impressive. Once again choreographed by Sammo Hung, Ip Man battles with over twenty people in a fish market wielding two butcher knives! Don’t worry, no limbs were hacked, he just uses him to smack everyone down! Ip later finds himself standing on a rickety table being challenged by all of Hong Kong’s kung fu masters. The long-awaited duel between Sammo and Donnie is a visceral thrill where they throw a flurry of punches. Unfortunately, it ends as quickly as it began, partly because Sammo just had major cardiac surgery and didn’t want to over-exert himself. There’s some welcome humor when the defeated masters blame the table for being slippery. The fight between Sammo and Twister was rather painful to watch because you notice the racial overtones. Of course, Twister gets his due when Ip Man brutally throws him to the ground and repeatedly punches his face until it’s a bloody mess. That’s what happens when you badmouth Chinese martial arts! Donnie Yen returns as Ip Man and his portrayal is largely the same but this time he gets to show his more dramatic side when he learns what has happened to his friend. Sammo Hung, doing doubleduty both in front and behind the camera, is as awesome as ever and even though he’s pushing 60, he can still kick your ass without breaking a sweat. Unfortunately the rest of the cast ends up doing little. Lynn Hung mostly mopes around as Ip’s pregnant wife, Cheung Wing-Sing. Simon Yam and Fan Siu-Wong also return but their inclusion seems largely superfluous. Kent Cheng is basically playing the same role as Lam Ka-Tung in the original but he lacks a strong dramatic arc. Huang Xiao Ming is Wong Leung, the impulsive disciple of Ip Man but he is relegated to 25 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
mere spectator during the second half. The rest of the cast includes Charles Mayer, as the corrupt police superintendent, Wallace and stuntman, Darren Shahlavi as the boxing champion Taylor ‘The Twister’ Milos. The British actors ham it up and their overacting is rather funny, if one-sided. Still, you grow to hate them as they mock Chinese culture and you’re glad they get what’s coming for them. “Ip Man 2” was released in Hong Kong on April 29, 2010 and went up against the highly anticipated “Iron Man 2.” The Wing Chun grandmaster handily trounced the Golden Avenger at the box office with only a HK$1 million difference. The reviews were largely positive but the general consensus was that it did not surpass its critically acclaimed predecessor. The sequel has earned $14 million worldwide so far and had its North American premiere on June 25 as the opening film of the New York Asian Film Festival. Unfortunately, the screening was sold out, but there was an encore on the 27th at the Walter Reade Theater. That was also a sold-out show, but luckily, I had preordered my tickets. Sammo Hung and Simon Yam also made appearances to everyone’s delight. Although the final scene teased a third film, Donnie Yen has stated that this will be his final appearance as Ip Man as he fears the market will become too oversaturated with rival Ip Man films. That makes sense; you can’t have too much of a good thing. “Ip Man 2” delivers on the action and the fight between Sammo and Donnie is worth the price of admission alone but the overall story just feels too similar to the first film. I still thoroughly enjoyed it and kung-fu fans won’t be disappointed.
Final Rating: “By fighting this match, I’m not trying to prove Chinese martial arts is better than Western boxing. What I really want to say is... though people have different statuses in life, everybody’s dignity is the same. I hope from this moment on, we can start to respect each other.” Note: In Cantonese with English subtitles. Movies & Music
Everyone agrees that marriage isn’t perfect and takes a lot of work. Unfortunately, most people dive right into it before they’re ready, leading to our high divorce rates. Some people would rather not get married at all! “The Kids Are All Right” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and became a breakout hit, leading to Focus Features picking up the distribution rights for a limited summer release. Although the film focuses on a lesbian couple, many of the issues touched upon are universal to all marriages and in a sea of mediocre big-budget releases, it is this emotional honesty that makes it one of the year’s best. With excellent performances and a light, often hilarious tone, the kids are, indeed, more than all right. Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore) are a lesbian college. Nic wears the pants in the family and is a successful couple who have been together for over 20 years. Thanks to doctor, but she is often controlling and inflexible, demanding an anonymous sperm donor, they have two beautiful children: that Joni do well in school and get into an Ivy League college. Joni (Mia Wasikowska), whose biological mother is Nic, while Jules is more of a free spirit, someone who bottles up everything the unusually named inside when it comes to Laser (Josh Hutcherson) issues in her relationship. is Jules’. Turning 18 and There’s also the fact that spending her last summer Nic dislikes Jules’ way of at home before going coasting through life and off to college, Joni, at treats her as such. When the insistence of her Paul enters into their lives, 15-year-old half-sibling, they are initially curious calls up the sperm bank and welcoming but his to learn the identity of, presence soon makes the and possibly meet, her cracks in Nic and Jules’ biological father. He marriage become more turns out to be an aging, apparent. As Joni and LAYOUT | GRAFREAK TEXT | SPIDERMAN120988 unmarried hippie named Laser spend more time Paul (Mark Ruffalo), who with Paul, Nic becomes owns both an organic farm and a restaurant. Despite the initial angry and resentful because she is unable to control this awkwardness, Paul suddenly finds himself bonding with his unknown variable and takes it out on Jules. Unable to get the ‘children’ over a meal with Nic and Jules. When Jules reveals that love and affection she needs at home, Jules finds solace in Paul she had just started a landscape gardening business, Paul hires and if it wasn’t him, it would’ve been someone else (either male her but it soon becomes apparent that they are attracted to or female) because these issues have been festering beneath each other. Meanwhile, Nic becomes resentful of being left out for some time. Paul is childless and engages in sexual romps and this leads to a crisis that threatens to tear the family apart. with a waitress at his restaurant and when he finally meets his biological children, this gets him thinking. He wants a family but “The Kids Are All Right” does not focus on same-sex marriage, he is unwilling to go out and make his own, so he inserts himself but on marriage as a whole. When people get married, it’s an into Nic and Jules’ life. At the end, nothing gets resolved but exciting time but the novelty soon wears off and waking up with the film finishes on a hopeful note. This is much more honest, the same person year after year soon becomes a routine slog. because real life does not get a Hollywood ending where That person’s flaws become magnified because you have to deal everyone forgives each other immediately. Marriage is hard but with him/her everyday and those who can’t keep the ‘spark’ going that does not make it any less worthwhile. end up in divorce court. In the case of Nic and Jules, you can tell that they love each other very much but they are approaching None of this would mean anything if the performances weren’t a mid-life crisis as their daughter prepares to move away to good, but they were uniformly excellent. Annette Bening and
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 26
Julianne Moore’s interactions feel real as a married couple going on 20 years and dealing with everyday issues with their children that most parents can relate to. Mark Ruffalo initially plays Paul as laidback, slightly overconfident, and full of himself, but when he sees his potential as a father, he is awash in confused feelings. Mia Wasikowska was last seen in March’s “Alice in Wonderland” from Tim Burton, but this film allows her to show the full range of her talent. Her Joni (named after musician Joni Mitchell) is shy and smart, but she longs to step out from under the shadow of her demanding mother and live her own life. Josh Hutcherson takes after Jules as he creates a wall to hide his feelings, although we do glimpse a young teen just trying to find his place in the world. The film also successfully blends drama with comedy to prevent everything from being overly melodramatic, to hilarious effect. Nic and Jules sit down with Laser to have ‘the talk’ when they discover him watching a gay porn film with a male friend. After getting it on with Paul, Jules steps outside, hastily dressed with no shoes on and makes up a lame excuse about being in the bathroom when she sees her gardening assistant standing outside. He doesn’t buy the excuse and, giving a knowing smile, tells her to ‘take her time.’ Then there’s the story of how Nic and Jules first meet and when Paul learns that it involved tongue, he gives a loud chuckle. Finally Paul and Nic do a laugh out loud rendition of “All I Want” by Joni Mitchell. Most of the comedy is low-key but it doesn’t make it any less funny. “The Kids Are All Right” has been in limited release since July 9, 2010 and has made $6 million so far. This may seem small but its per-theater average for its opening weekend was a whopping $70,282, which is the highest grossing debut for a limited release film. Reviews have been highly positive with 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics lauding it as ‘both a well-acted dramedy and as a smart, warm statement on family values.’ If you’re turned off by this summer’s meager blockbuster offerings, “The Kids Are All Right” may be right up your alley with its superb performances and its honest look at the trials and tribulations of married life. Conservatives and religious folk will complain, but don’t let that stop you from seeing one of the year’s best films.
“Marriage is hard. Two people, year after year, sometimes you stop seeing the other person.” Directed by Lisa Cholodenko Rated R
(Strong Sexual Content, Nudity, Language and some Teen Drug and Alcohol Use)
Running Time: 1 Hours & 46 Minutes
FINAL RATING
Cast
27 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Julianne Moore Annette Bening Mark Ruffalo Mia Wasikowska Josh Hutcherson Yaya DaCosta Kunal Sharma Eddie Hassell Zosia Mamet
Jules Nic Paul Joni Laser Tanya Jai Clay Sasha Movies & Music
MOVIEREVIEW
The Last
Airbender
I really have to ask: what the f*ck happened to M. Night Shyamalan?! Back in 1999, Shyamalan caught everyone’s attention with “The Sixth Sense,” a film that was a critical and commercial success. It looked like he was unstoppable, but everything changed with the release of “The Village” in 2004, and even though the film made $257 million worldwide, it was panned by critics. Shyamalan’s next two films, “Lady in the Water” and “The Happening” were both critical and box office failures. Now, he’s trying to reclaim his mojo by adapting the popular animated series from Nickelodeon, “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” which ran for three seasons from 2005 to 2008. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the show was incredibly popular and was nominated for numerous awards. To avoid confusion with James Cameron’s “Avatar,” the film was simply titled “The Last Airbender” and is loosely based on the first season. Unfortunately, controversy has plagued the film with accusations of racism when the casting preferred Caucasian to Asian actors despite the obvious influence of Asian culture in the show. That’s the least of the films problems however, because “The Last Airbender” is a giant, cobbled mess of rushed storytelling with virtually no character development. Millions of dollars were thrown to create the special effects but they amount to nothing. This is a terrible film, but for the fans, this is an offense they can’t forgive.
“You are the only one who can control the elements and bring peace to our world.” Movies & Music
The world is dominated by four nations, each representing one of the known elements: air, water, earth, and fire. Residing in each are individuals called ‘benders’ who can control their nation’s element. The only person able to control all four and maintain peace is the Avatar. Unfortunately, the Avatar has been missing for a century which has resulted in the violent Fire Nation conquering much of the world. In the Southern Water Tribe, the young waterbender Katara (Nicola Peltz) and her older brother, Sokka ( Jackson Rathbone) are hunting when they come upon a young boy trapped in a state of suspended animation deep in the ice. The boy’s name is Aang (Noah Ringer), he is taken to the local village to recover. However, Zuko (Dev Patel), the exiled prince of the Fire Nation, has been searching for the Avatar for many years and he arrives at the village demanding all the elderly to be brought before him. When one of the soldiers sees the airbender tattoos of Aang, Zuko suspects that the boy is the Avatar and brings him aboard his ship. Zuko’s suspicions are confirmed when his uncle, Iroh (Shaun Toub), performs a simple test. Aang manages to escape and along with Katara and Sokka, travel to the Southern Air Temple when he learns the terrible truth: his entire nation and everyone he knew has been wiped out by the Fire Nation in the time that he had been trapped in the ice. They come upon a small Earth village and Aang stirs up a rebellion with an inspiring speech. Since he is only able to manipulate air, Aang and his new friends travel to the Northern Water Tribe to find someone who can help him master waterbending. However, the Fire Lord Ozai (Cliff Curtis) tasks the hot-tempered Admiral Zhao (Aasif Mandvi) to launch an attack on the Water Tribe in an effort to prevent WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 28
MOVIEREVIEW
Aang from fulfilling his destiny as the Avatar and bring peace to the four nations.
I have never watched the animated series so I cannot confirm if it is true to the source material but even if it is, it doesn’t change the fact that this film is an abomination, and that’s putting it lightly. The story is a rushed mess and there is no proper buildup to anything because everything is simply told. Katara and Sokka suddenly decide to accompany Aang on his journey even though they’d just met ten minutes ago. Despite learning the truth about what happened to his people, Aang skips the grieving stage and begins delivering speeches. When Sokka meets Princess Yue (Seychelle Gabriel), we are told that they become ‘fast friends’ and the next scenes show them flirting. All the character development is done away with and replaced with throwaway narration. Every line uttered by the characters is exposition and this prevents us from being able to relate to them. In fact, I found much of the film to be a bore! There’s an attempt to explore responsibility and destiny but none of it ever goes anywhere. It’s as if Shyamalan didn’t even want to direct the film and was in a hurry to finish it. Many of the concepts of bending are introduced but never explained so those who haven’t watched the show will be scratching their heads in confusion. The world of “The Last Airbender” is a compelling one with its amalgamation of various aspects of Asian culture but none of it ever feels real or invokes any sense of wonder at all. The biggest mistake was for the creators of the show to allow Shyamalan to write and direct the film. Although Shyamalan explains that he was inspired to watch the series by his daughter, I feel that’s just a load of bullsh*t. He copied all the aspects but was unable to replicate what made the series such a success in the first place. Only children under age ten won’t care because they don’t know any better. The biggest controversy is the casting, and despite all the main characters being obviously of Asian descent, they are Caucasian in the film. Roger Ebert asks why Paramount and Shyamalan would ‘go out of their way to offend these fans’ and I believe it all comes down to money. Paramount probably feared they wouldn’t make a profit with Asian actors and opted to go the easy route. The villains are predominantly Indian and as window dressing they used extras of Inuit and Asian descent to make the setting ‘authentic’ but that just takes you out of the film when the only Caucasian people happen to the be the three main characters! If ever there was proof that racism still exists in America, this is it, blown up on the big screen. Being Indian himself, I can’t believe that Shyamalan would allow this. I have simply lost all respect for him, and because of his desperation for a paycheck, he 29 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
sacrifices his artistic integrity. Maybe this could’ve been forgiven if he had found some good child actors but he botches this also. None of the cast is ever able to create any sense of personality to the characters because all the dialogue is exposition. The delivery is stiff and the emotion behind it never rings true. The only praise I can muster is Dev Patel, who does manage to capture the tragedy surrounding Zuko and his obsession with reclaiming his honor but the other cast members just serve to bore you even more.
“The Last Airbender” certainly spares no expense in the visual effects department. The ending has Aang using his waterbending skills to create a massive tidal wave to force the Fire Nation to retreat and while it looks impressive, it never feels as epic as it looks. To capitalize on the higher ticket prices, the film was hastily converted to 3D even though it was shot in 2D. This conversion is a total rip-off and is even worse than “Clash of the Titans!” There’s horrible motion blur during panning shots and it darkens much of the film. For the extra five dollars, all you get is a major headache.
Released on July 1, “The Last Airbender” has received overwhelmingly negative reviews with an 8% on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s worse than “Sex and the City 2” and “Jonah Hex!” Critics wrote that it ‘squanders the potential of its popular source material on an incomprehensible plot, laughable dialogue, and a joyless sense of detachment.’ The film has made $33 million so far and despite the poor reception, the theater was packed with lines so I’m predicting around $90 to $100 million for all five days behind “Twilight Eclipse.” As much as I hate it, I do believe the film will become a modest box office success or if not, make up Movies & Music
Final Rating: 0.5 out of 5
Rated: PG (Fantasy Action Violence) Running Time: 1 Hour & 43 Minutes Cast: Noah Ringer - Aang Nicola Peltz - Katara Jackson Rathbone - Sokka Seychelle Gabriel - Princess Yue Dev Patel - Prince Zuko Shaun Toub - Uncle Iroh Aasif Mandvi - Admiral Zhao Cliff Curtis - Fire Lord Ozai Summer Bishil - Azula Francis Guinan - Master Pakku Damon Gupton - Monk Gyatso John Noble (voice) - The Dragon Spirit Directed by M. Night Shyamalan
WRITTEN BY SPIDERMAN120988 DESIGNED BY LORA
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 30
MOVIEREVIEW
the rest of the production and marketing costs through international territories. This means that a sequel is all but guaranteed and I have no doubt Shyamalan will continue to mutilate the animated series. “The Last Airbender” does everything wrong from the story to the casting that it’s hard to believe that this is the same man who directed such brilliant films like “Signs.” There is no one else to blame since Shyamalan did triple duty as producer, writer, and director. This is simply an abominable mess but I feel sorry for the fans of the show that have to deal with having something they love so much be twisted into this racist pile of garbage.
MOVIE REVIEW
KNIGHT & DAY
released 23june (US) 6th august(UK)
Rated PG-13 (Sequences of Action Violence Throughout, and Brief Strong Language) Running Time: 1 Hour & 50 Minutes Cast: Tom Cruise - Roy Miller Cameron Diaz - June Havens Peter Sarsgaard - Agent Fitzgerald Viola Davis - CIA Director George Paul Dano - Simon Feck Jordi Mollà - Antonio Maggie Grace - April Havens Marc Blucas - Rodney Directed by James Mangold 31 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Movies & Music
Written By: SpiderMan120988 Designed By: Prendy
T
om Cruise is in somewhat of a rut these days due to his ties with controversial pseudoreligion Scientology and his off-kilter antics such as jumping up and down while declaring his love for his then-fiancé Katie Holmes during “Oprah.” His last three films, “Mission Impossible III,” “Lions for Lambs,” and “Valkyrie” either disappointed at the box office or just tanked, but his portrayal of Len Grossman in 2008’s “Tropic Thunder” was so well-received that a spin-off film has just been announced. Taking advantage of his new-found rapport with comedy, Cruise and Cameron Diaz co-star in “Knight and Day,” a rather unusual film since nowadays a well-known celebrity doesn’t guarantee box office success. Cruise and Diaz share an excellent and natural chemistry on-screen, but while the film is breezy fun, it never becomes much more than disposable entertainment. At the airport, June Havens (Cameron Diaz) is waiting to board her flight from Wichita to her sister’s wedding when she bumps into Roy Miller (Tom Cruise). She is immediately attracted to him, but Havens is bumped to a later flight due to overbooking. Outside, a CIA agent named Fitzgerald (Peter Sarsgaard) mistakenly believes that June is Miller’s accomplice and pulls some strings to get her back on that flight. On the plane, Miller and June share some small talk but when she goes to the restroom to freshen up, all the passengers begin to attack Miller. He kills all of them without much effort and explains to June that everyone is dead, including the pilots. She initially believes it’s all a joke but when she notices the bodies in the cockpit, she panics. Miller attempts to land the plane and they crash-land into a corn field. June is drugged by Miller, but before she passes out, he tells her to expect agents to visit her and that she is to deny any knowledge of him. True to his words, agents do come for June during her sister’s dress fitting, but Miller suddenly arrives and engages in a prolonged gun battle with them on the highway. Miller says that it would be safer if June stuck with him and she reluctantly agrees. Together, they travel to pick up Simon Feck (Paul Dano), a teenage genius who has invented a perpetual energy battery codenamed the Zephyr. Miller reveals that someone within the CIA is planning to sell the device to a notorious Spanish arms dealer named Antonio ( Jordi Mollà) and that he has been forced to go on the run after being framed as a mentally unbalanced agent gone rogue. However, June is torn about whom to believe and finds herself swept up in an international web of intrigue. “Knight and Day” features a rather formulaic plot and can get too over-the top at times. The film has Movies & Music
a strong first half as June’s confusion is played up for laughs and we don’t yet know whether Miller is crazy or not. When we begin to learn more about Miller and his past, the film becomes less interesting and begins to drag and is saved only by the witty banter between the two leads and a high-speed chase through Spain. It also pokes fun at other ‘secret agent on the run’ films including Jason Bourne and Cruise’s Ethan Hunt from “Mission Impossible” but combined with the concept of a couple on the lam. The story relies on the usual Hollywood clichés, such as how a thousand bullets (or rockets from a remote drone) just happen to miss two people, but “Knight and Day” was not made to be scrutinized in detail. There are plot holes galore, much of it coming from the fact that June is drugged many times to avoid explaining how they get from one place to another. And yes, the drugging does sound a little creepy. There’s just not enough story to support the film’s two hour running time, but at least “Knight and Day” is never boring.
“While the film is breezy fun, it never becomes much more than disposable entertainment.” The film’s biggest asset is the combined star power of Cruise and Diaz, last seen together in 2001’s “Vanilla Sky.” Cruise is in fine form here, displaying a devil-may-care attitude and flashing a grin with a twinkle in his eye despite the dangerous situation he is up against. The fact that he’s playing a crazy person also helps us to distance his role from his off-screen erratic behavior. Diaz is clearly playing second-fiddle to Cruise, but she proves herself capable as the often confused and panicked June. Their chemistry adds to the silly nature of the film and nothing is ever taken too seriously. Together, they help elevate an otherwise mediocre film to an enjoyable one. The rest of the cast don’t really make much of an impression and Sarsgaard never comes across as a capable villain for Miller. The action can get borderline ridiculous, such as the plane crash during the film’s first twenty minutes. The car chase on the highway has Miller super-glued to the roof of the car despite all the swerving and bullets flying. However, we are never able to fully appreciate these scenes because director James Mangold shows them from June’s point of view. This is why we never see how Miller actually escapes from his captors or how he manages to survive being shot multiple times. The guy is practically Superman! Still, there’s a confidence in Mangold’s direction as he leads his characters in WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 32
an around-the-world trek. “Knight and Day” was released into theaters on June 23, 2010, possibly in an attempt to earn as much as it can before next week’s female juggernaut, “Twilight Eclipse,” demolishes all competition. Today’s younger generations aren’t huge fans of Cruise and Diaz, and some box office analysts pegged the film as a commercial flop due to lack of interest. Reception has been mixed for the most part, with 54% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics agreed that it was pure formula but found the ‘breezy pace and a pair of charming performances from Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz’ helped elevate the film from being less-than-average. It is unlikely that this film and Adam Sandler’s “Grown Ups” (opening on Friday) will dethrone “Toy Story 3” but audiences are more likely to flock to Sandler because the low-brow toilet humor is more digestible for them so “Knight and Day” will end up in third place this weekend with around $40 to $50 million for the first five days. Nothing is really certain for this summer though, as films that were guaranteed to make big money floundered at the box office. I viewed the film during a morning matinee and there was a decent-sized audience. “Knight and Day” does not offer much in the way of plot but the kinetic pace and strong chemistry between Cruise and Diaz helps to make it an enjoyable, if ultimately forgettable, affair.
Final Rating:
“Everybody get down! No one follows us or I kill myself and then her!”
33 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Movies & Music
MOVIE REVIEW
ROBINHOOD RELEASED 14may(US) 12may(UK)
Rated PG-13 (Violence including Intense Sequences of Warfare, and Some Sexual Content) Running Time: 2 Hours & 20 Minutes Cast: Russell Crowe - Robin Longstride/Robin Hood Cate Blanchett - Lady Marion Loxley Mark Strong - Sir Godfrey Oscar Isaac - King John of England Max von Sydow - Sir Walter Loxley William Hurt - William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke Eileen Atkins - Eleanor of Aquitaine Kevin Durand - Little John Scott Grimes - Will Scarlet Alan Doyle - Allan A’Dayle Mark Addy - Friar Tuck Danny Huston - King Richard the Lionheart Douglas Hodge - Sir Robert Loxley Léa Seydoux - Isabella of Angoulême Matthew Macfadyen - Sheriff of Nottingham Directed by Ridley Scott
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 34
Written By: SpiderMan120988 Designed By: Prendy “And so the legend begins…“
D
irector Ridley Scott teams up with Russell Crowe for their fifth collaboration in “Robin Hood,” a new interpretation of one of the most famous characters in English folklore. “Robin Hood” is a rather atypical film to have a summer release, where special effects-driven action fare reigns supreme. Originally, the script was titled “Nottingham,” with Crowe playing a heroic Sheriff of Nottingham and Robin Hood himself as the villain. Crowe disliked this idea and eventually it was rewritten to tell how Robin Hood came to be the outlaw we all know today. Essentially, this is “Robin Hood Begins.” The last time Scott directed a historical epic was 2005’s “Kingdom of Heaven,” which was also released in May but flopped at the box office as audiences just weren’t interested in a history lesson about the Crusades. “Robin Hood” has excellent production values and an impressive cast but ultimately, its meshing of historical fact and English folklore damages the film rather than adding to it. During the late 12th Century, England, led by King Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston), is embroiled in the Third Crusade, lasting the better part of ten years. Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) is a common archer in the King’s army, but when Richard dies from a fatal wound, Robin and three of his comrades, Little John (Kevin Durand), Will Scarlet (Scott Grimes), and Allan A’Dayle (Alan Doyle), decide to return home. Meanwhile, Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong) is conspiring with King Philip of France to assassinate Richard, unbeknownst to them that he was killed in battle. As Richard’s right-hand man, Sir Robert Loxley (Douglas Hodge) returns to England with the crown, and while doing so he is ambushed by Godfrey and his men but is chased away by the timely intervention of Robin and his companions. Dying, Loxley makes Robin promise to return his father’s sword, who lives in Nottingham. Disguised as Loxley, Robin arrives in England and informs the Royal Family of Richard’s death, witnessing his younger brother, John (Oscar Isaac) succeeding the crown. Riding to Nottingham, Robin makes good on his promise to Loxley and returns the sword to his father, Walter (Max von Sydow). To prevent the crown from taking away his lands, he requests that Robin continue to impersonate his son, much to the dismay of Robert’s widow, Lady Marion (Cate Blanchett). Robin soon becomes swept up in the political struggle between England and France, leading 35 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
to an epic battle which results in him being forced to become an outlaw known as ‘Robin of the Hood.’
“Too many films these days are conceived as would-be franchises when success is not always guaranteed. “ Much of the problem with “Robin Hood” lies in the fact that it focuses so much on the behindthe-scenes politics of England and France that the main character becomes an afterthought until the final twenty minutes. Most people know what constitutes a Robin Hood story, the central theme being that he robs from the rich to give to the poor. That only happens once in the film when he and his ‘Merry Men’ steal back a wagon of grain from the Church for the starving townsfolk. Much of the running time is devoted to the arrogant King John levying high taxes on his subjects, with Godfrey taking advantage of this to ferment civil unrest with his French conspirators. As this is going on, Robin is getting used to life in Nottingham and eventually learns of his parentage from Walter but this subplot is too underdeveloped for us to care. It feels as if a lot had been edited out, either by personal choice from Scott or studio mandate, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a director’s cut in the near future. At one point, a group of kids living in a forest comes to the aid of Nottingham as it is being attacked by Godfrey and they eventually join in the final battle. Where did they come from? This isn’t explained until the end in an offhanded comment. Also, Godfrey’s motivations for working with the French are never revealed. The PG-13 rating also keeps the film surprisingly blood-free given the era that it’s taking place in. By the end of the film, Robin is predictably declared an outlaw by King John and forced to take refuge in Sherwood Forest, the story to be continued in a future sequel. Too many films these days are conceived as would-be franchises when success is not always guaranteed. Historical epics have always been a tough sell as too often the audience might feel like they’re watching a boring documentary. I’ve always held great interest in the medieval era and I can tell Scott does too, but this proves to be the film’s major undoing as he loses sight of the goal of the story. The cast is uniformly excellent with the exception of Crowe. You can always count on him to Movies & Music
give a solid performance but this time he mostly mumbles his dialogue, lacking the charisma you would expect from a character like Robin Hood. The only time he comes close to commanding loyalty is when he makes an impassioned speech to King John in creating the Magna Carta. Much has been made about how his age undermines the origin story aspect of the film but I didn’t mind. In contrast, Cate Blanchett, sans makeup, impresses with her firebrand interpretation of Lady Marion. The romance that develops between her and Robin is fun to watch, going from threatening to cut off his manhood to fighting alongside him in battle. Oscar Isaac is the slimy King John, a tyrant who cares little for his people and is more worried about filling his coffers. However, Isaac plays him too well and when he promises to sign the Magna Carta to unite his subjects, it’s glaringly obvious he won’t follow through; otherwise it deviates from the Robin Hood legend. Once again, Mark Strong plays the villain in Sir Godfrey and does not disappoint, but he’s starting to become typecast in these roles. In a matter of months, I’ve seen him as the bad guy in “Sherlock Holmes” and “Kick-Ass.” Playing his Merry Men, Kevin Durand, Scott Grimes, Alan Doyle, and Mark Addy as Friar Tuck bring some levity to the proceedings, singing songs and partying hard like its 1999 or 1199. Rounding out the cast is William Hurt as the Earl of Pembroke William Marshall and Max von Sydow as Walter Loxley, a retired knight now suffering from blindness who just wants to see the king do something right for a change.
viewers, at least until “Sex and the City 2” on May 27. Ridley Scott has crafted a fine-looking film in “Robin Hood,” assembling a cast that most directors can only dream of but his obsession with the political backdrop of the Crusades pushes the famous outlaw into the background and the story suffers from this imbalance. Given Scott’s pedigree, you can’t help but feel slightly disappointed at the end result.
Final Rating: “Rise and rise again, until lambs become lions.”
There are only two battle scenes in “Robin Hood,” one in the beginning and one at the end, both of them well-shot and tightly edited but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. The lack of blood almost proves comical but the one scene that’ll make you cheer is when Robin takes up his famous bow and arrow, and with silent precision, kills Godfrey with a clean shot through the neck. Scott certainly has a good eye for landscapes as much of the cinematography is beautiful and breathtaking. Released into theaters on May 14, 2010, “Robin Hood” is going up against last week’s reigning champion, “Iron Man 2,” a fight it’ll mostly lose due to middling reviews and indifference among younger audiences. It currently stands at 45% on Rotten Tomatoes with critics concluding that the film ‘offers some fine acting and a few gripping action sequences, but it’s missing the thrill of adventure that made Robin Hood a legend in the first place.’ My guess is that it’ll end up with $30 to $40 million on opening weekend, coming in at #2 behind the Golden Avenger. At worst, Amanda Seyfried’s “Letters to Juliet” might overtake it due to lack of anything for female Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 36
MOVIE REVIEW
PREDATORS Article by: SpiderMan120988 Design by: --=leon=--
“This planet is a game preserve...and we’re the game.”
W
Adrien Brody ----------------------- Royce Alice Braga -------------------------- Isabelle Danny Trejo ------------------------ Cuchillo Oleg Taktarov ---------------------- Nikolai Walton Goggins ------------------- Stans Topher Grace ---------------------- Edwin Louis Ozawa Changchien ------- Hanzo Mahershalalhashbaz Ali ---------- Mombasa Laurence Fishburne --------------- Noland Brian Steele ----------------------- Berzerker Predator Carey Jones - Tracker Predator/Falconer Predator Derek Mears ------------------------ Classic Predator Directed by Nimród Antal Rated R (Strong Creature Violence and Gore, and Pervasive Language) Running Time 1 Hour & 46 Minutes
37 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
hen it comes to killer extraterrestrials in films, there is only “Alien” and “Predator.” Unfortunately, both franchises have fallen on hard times. “Predator” was released in 1987 and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as an elite soldier who finds himself hunted by an alien life-form in the Central American jungle. Although the film received mixed reviews, it was a box office success, earning $98 million worldwide against a measly $15 million production budget. Over time, opinions changed with “Predator,” and it is now viewed as one of the best action films of the 1980’s. The sequel, “Predator 2,” arrived in 1990 but Schwarzenegger declined to reprise his role due to dissatisfaction with the script, which now took place in an urban jungle. Replacing him was Danny Glover, who played a disobedient police officer caught between a drug war and the alien Predator. Grossing only $57 million worldwide and receiving largely negative reviews, the film was a disappointment and ended the franchise as quickly as it began. However, in one of the scenes on the Predator’s ship, an Alien skull can be seen in the trophy room and this fueled speculation that the two species would eventually meet. They did, but only in comic books and video games that greatly expanded the universe of both franchises. It wasn’t until 2004 that they finally met on the big screen in Paul W.S. Anderson’s “Alien vs. Predator” but the film was neutered from the start with the PG-13 rating when its predecessors from both franchises were rated R. The novelty of seeing the two species fight led to the film being a box office, if not critical, success with $173 million worldwide. However, everything hit a new low with 2007’s sequel, “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem,” and although it was rated R, it came off as a pointless affair, as if 20th Century Fox was flogging a dead horse. Now, producer Robert Rodriguez is going back to basics with “Predators”, and although the film suffers from some issues inherent in its genre, its slow-burn, unbridled violence makes it a breath of fresh air in a summer of mediocre films.
An American ex-military turned mercenary named Royce (Adrian Brody) finds himself in freefall and lands in an unknown jungle when his parachute automatically opens. He finds others in the same situation: an IDF black ops sharpshooter named Isabelle (Alice Braga), a Mexican drug cartel enforcer named Cuchillo (Danny Trejo), and a Russian Spetsnaz solider named Nicolai (Oleg Taktarov). Royce suggests that they stick together to find out what’s going on and encounters more people: a Death Row inmate named Stans (Walton Goggins), a Sierra Leone RUF member named Mombasa (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), Yakuza assassin Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changc h ien) and, strangely, a harmless doctor named Edwin (Topher Grace). Although everyone is suspicious of each other, they decide to work together due to their circumstances, but it soon becomes clear that they are not on Earth anymore. Escaping a man-made booby trap, the group is soon attacked by a pack of Movies & Music
dog-like creatures with large tusks and spines on their backs. Royce concludes that they are being hunted and that the planet is some sort of game preserve. They arrive at a camp where an alien creature is tied to a totem pole that roars and attracts the attention of three nearby cloaked Predators. Royce and the others must learn to trust each other if they are to find a way to escape the planet as the Predators continue to hunt them. “Predators” presents a very simple tale that’s similar in structure to the original “Predator” as the setting returns to the jungle. The minimalist plot is one of the film’s strengths, but it does suffer from a lack of surprise. As such, we already know that most of the characters will be picked off one-by-one and who will be left standing in the end. The first 30 to 40 minutes builds suspense and tension when the characters try to get their bearings and figure out what’s happening to them. Those who lack patience might find it too slow; one of the hallmarks of “Predator” was never being able to fully see the enemy, even though we already know what they look like. Once the Predators do show up, the film never lets up, becoming an adrenaline rush as everyone tries to fight back to survive. Character development is largely nonexistent, but we do get a few dialogue scenes that reveal a small part of who they were on Earth. Royce was originally part of the American military but grew disillusioned when he came to the realization that he fought not for the ideals of his country but for the sake of killing. There’s also the fact that people will work together (albeit reluctantly) if the circumstances call for it but when it comes to survival, Movies & Music
everyone looks out only for themselves. Much of the enjoyment of “Predators” comes from the violence and it is immensely satisfying. One of the Predators does the classic killing move of ripping out the spine and the skull of its victims. The Predators themselves look very similar with the exception of some helm variations. They wield most of the classic weapons and devices, such as their signature cloak and plasma caster, but the smart-disc and combi-stick are missing. The third act had the Yakuza assassin engaging in a sword duel with one of the Predators and the final fight is brutal, as Royce outsmarts the Leader Predator by setting the area on fire to confuse its thermal imaging. CG is kept to a minimum but there are some weak spots, especially with the fire effects. Not much is revealed about the Predator’s culture beyond what we already know but we learn that they are broken up into warring tribes. If a sequel is made, I would like this to be given more exploration. This is not an actor’s film but most of the cast make the most of their limited roles. Adrian Brody is Royce, a gravelly voiced mercenary who becomes the unofficial leader of the group. He’s handy with a gun, but his greatest asset is his intelligence and Brody does a good job of showing that his character is capable of going up against a creature that can physically and technologically overwhelm him. Playing the only female member is the beautiful Alice Braga as sniper Isabelle, who holds her own with the rest of the male cast. Laurence Fishburne also makes an appearance as Noland, a former American Air Cavalry soldier who has been stranded on the planet for ten seasons and suffers from insanity due to being alone for so long. The rest of the characters aren’t too memorable (or likable either) and these are the ones who will eventually not make it and die at the hands of the Predators. Released on July 9, 2010, “Predators” has surprisingly received positive reviews with 65% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics agreed that ‘this bloody, action-packed reboot takes the…franchise back to its testosterone-fueled roots.’ This statement has a mistake though as it refers to the film as a reboot but is actually a sequel to “Predator 2.” 20th Century Fox’s marketing has been relatively low-key and it is going up against an animated film, “Despicable Me,” which is more likely to come out on top of the box office for the weekend. “Twilight Eclipse” will most likely suffer from a huge drop from last week so “Predators” should come in at #2 with around $30 to $35 million. So far, the film has earned a respectable $10 million on Friday and there was a sizable audience at the theater today. It may not be terribly original and suffer from predictability but “Predators” goes back to what worked in the original and delivers an entertaining, bloody sci-fi action flick that old and new fans will enjoy.
Final Rating: 3.5/5 WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 38
P
IE V E R
W
T E X T | SPIDERMAN120988
D
espite the fact that video game-to-film adaptations have been critically reviled, Hollywood still insists on making them, hoping something will make a profit. The “Resident Evil” series has enjoyed some measure of success and both “Tomb Raider” and “Silent Hill” manage to capture the spirit of the games, although as films, they’re entertaining but ultimately forgettable. As for Uwe Boll, it’s mind-boggling how he continues to make movies when they’re all total garbage, and that’s a fact. “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” based upon the video games created by Jordan Mechner and published by Ubisoft, hopes to break the never-ending cycle of terrible video game adaptations. Personally, I’ve never played the original “Sands of Time” trilogy, though most fans seem to hold the original in high 39 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
L AYO U T | GRAFREAK
regard. Despite high ratings from gaming journalists, the game didn’t sell. To reach a ‘wider audience,’ Ubisoft made the next two entries over-sexualized. Since then, they’ve been trying to recapture the magic of the first game, coming close with 2008’s reboot, simply titled “Prince of Persia,” which I own for PC. To coincide with the film’s release, Ubisoft released “Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands”. However, it is not based on the film. It is an interquel between “Sands of Time” and “Warrior Within.” As for the film itself, “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” may arguably be one of the best— if not the best—video game adaptation ever; as a film, it’s entertaining but offers little in the way of actual substance. The characters are never developed due to its rushed pacing and the overall direction feels too generic and lifeless. Music # Movies
In Ancient Persia, King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup) adopts a young street urchin named Dastan when he sees him defending a helpless boy. Fifteen years later, the grown up Prince of Persia (Jake Gyllenhaal)—who is traveling with his brothers, Tus (Richard Coyle) and Garsiv (Toby Kebbell) to the Holy City of Alamut, is suspected of giving weapons to Persia’s enemies, according to the king’s brother and advisor, Nizam (Ben Kingsley). Alamut is home to the beautiful Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton), who guards an ancient dagger that grants its user the ability to go back in time for short periods. During the battle to take the city, Dastan finds the dagger and takes it as trophy, unaware of its powers. Sharaman arrives at Alamut to celebrate the victory but he is soon murdered, with the suspicion falling on Dastan. With Tamina in tow, Dastan must now find a way to clear his name and return the dagger to its rightful place before it falls into the wrong hands.
Movies & Music
It’s not obvious to see that producer Jerry Bruckheimer wants “Prince of Persia” to turn into a franchise like “Pirates of the Caribbean” but it lacks a charismatic or memorable protagonist like Jack Sparrow. The story suffers from predictability and some of it can be attributed to its marketing campaign where it’s obvious that Nizam is the main villain, although it takes Dastan midway through the film to actually figure it out. With a premise involving a weapon that controls time, the writers end up cheating in the end and it doesn’t take a blind person to see how they do it.
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 40
Although the games themselves try to invoke an “Arabian Nights” feel, the film seems like it was made for kids, while most people who played the games are older. There’s no sense of danger or suspense since you know who the villain is and the good and bad guys are clearly defined without any moral ambiguity. The writers try to throw in a few swipes at the Bush administration when the Persian army invades Alamut, only to find that there are no weapons there. Certain characters also grumble about paying taxes and though they provide a few chuckles, all this ends up being irrelevant and dated. Video games can tell great stories. BioWare does it time and time again and Quantic Dream’s recently released “Heavy Rain” on PlayStation 3, which offers an intense, emotional tale of love. However, Hollywood seems to settle for the pedestrian. Ultimately, that’s what makes “Prince of Persia” forgettable: it plays it too safe with the story. The acting is adequate for the most part. It’s unusual to see Jake Gyllenhaal in a mainstream action-adventure film but he makes a likable Prince, though his British accent comes off as a little forced. Unfortunately, he doesn’t do enough to make him memorable. Gemma Arterton is Princess Tamina and looks stunning with her exotic looks. She plays a similar role as in “Clash of the Titans” by offering up small bits of exposition. As for the romance, she and Gyllenhaal just end up staring at each with doe eyes, about to kiss but suddenly, something interrupts them! They do share some good chemistry with their quips and barbs. Playing Dastan’s uncle Nizam is Ben Kingsley: glowering around with his mascara-laden eyes, it’s a wonder no one figures out that he’s the villain early on. Finally, Alfred Molina provides some comic relief as Sheik Amar, dodging taxes and holding ostrich races! The action scenes capture the platforming that the games are famous for; however, you can’t help feeling that you would rather go home and play the actual game. The quick edits and pacing often makes these scenes blend together— nothing ever stands out despite the money being spent on the effects. Dastan utilizes parkour when moving around and fighting a group of generic, knife-wielding assassins. One action scene that is somewhat memorable has him dodging an assassin using two razor-sharp whips, but that’s about it. “Prince of Persia” also spares no expense on the visuals and while they are impressive, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before in other blockbusters. To be honest, I don’t see anything that will surpass the revolutionary effects of “Avatar” anytime soon unless that film is being made by James Cameron.
“I’ve seen its power with my own eyes! Releasing the sand turns back time. Only the holder of the Dagger is aware what’s happened.” 41 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Music # Movies
Released into theaters on May 28, 2010, “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” is one of the better received video game adaptations with 44% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics agreed that the film lacks substance, but found it to be an ‘entertaining swashbuckler—and a substantial improvement over most video game adaptations.’ It is competing with the highly anticipated sequel “Sex and the City 2,” which will end up dominating the Memorial Day weekend as there haven’t been many event films catered to female audiences. “Prince of Persia” will settle into second place with around $50 million. So far it has earned $28 million internationally. The response from the audience was unusually enthusiastic and they applauded multiple times. I may be just the snobby film critic but there wasn’t anything there that warranted that type of response. “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” offers some light fun and entertainment for two hours and the film is competently made with nice visual effects, but in the end, it’s a soulless and forgettable experience.
FINAL RATING :
Directed by Mike Newell Rated PG-13
(Intense Sequences of Violence and Action)
Running Time: 1 Hours & 56 Minutes Cast Jake Gyllenhaal Gemma Arterton Ben Kingsley Alfred Molina Steve Toussaint Toby Kebbell Richard Coyle Ronald Pickup Gísli Örn Garðarsson
Movies & Music
Prince Dastan Princess Tamina Nizam Sheik Amar Seso Prince Garsiv Prince Tus King Sharaman Hassansin Leader
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 42
MOVIE REVIEW
DisneyDigital 3D
Directed by Lee Unkrich
Rated G Running Time: 1 Hour & 43 Minutes
‘You’ve got a friend in me!’
Cast (voice): Tom Hanks -------------------------------- Woody Tim Allen ------------------------ Buzz Lightyear Joan Cusack --------------------- Jessie the Cowgirl Don Rickles --------------------- Mr. Potato Head Estelle Harris ------------------- Mrs. Potato Head Wallace Shawn --------------- Rex the Dinosaur John Ratzenberger ------ Hamm the Piggybank Blake Clark --------------------------- Slinky Dog Jodi Benson ------------------------------- Barbie Ned Beatty --------------- Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear Michael Keaton ------------------------------ Ken John Cygan --------------------------Twitch Whoopi Goldberg ------------------------ Stretch Jack Angel ------------------------------Chunk Jan Rabson ------------------------------Sparks Richard Kind ---------------------- The Bookworm Teddy Newton -------------- Chatter Telephone Timothy Dalton --------------- Mr. Pricklepants Kristen Schaal -------------------------------- Trixie Jeff Garlin ----------------------------- Buttercup Bonnie Hunt -----------------------------Dolly Bud Luckey --------------- Chuckles the Clown John Morris --------------- Andrew ‘Andy’ Davis Laurie Metcalf --------- Andy’s Mom/Mrs. Davis Beatrice Miller ------------------------ Molly Davis Emily Hahn ----------------------------Bonnie Javier Fernandez Pena - Spanish Buzz Lightyear 43 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Randy Newman’s famous song kick-starts one of the most highly-anticipated films of the summer, “Toy Story 3,” released into theaters on June 18, in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D. The original “Toy Story” was released in 1995 and was the first animated film to exclusively use CG. It cemented Pixar’s status as one of the best animation studios in Hollywood; since then every film they’ve released has gone on to achieve critical and commercial success. The thing that I admire most about Pixar is their integrity. They don’t release sequels for the sake of making money or do half-completed films in the vain hope of starting a franchise. Pixar’s goal has always been about telling a story and to connect with the audience; this is something all of Hollywood needs to learn rather than releasing crap sequels year after year. “Toy Story 3” has been a long time coming; the last film was released in 1999, over 11 years ago. The third film of a series is always viewed as the weakest, but Pixar once again proves us all wrong, delivering a rousing, often hilarious tale about friendship and the fleeting nature of childhood. We may outgrow our toys, but our imagination will always stay with us. Without a doubt, “Toy Story 3” is the best film of the summer by far! Andy ( John Morris) is 17 and he’s about to go off to college. His former favorite toys, Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), Jessie ( Joan Cusack), Mr. & Mrs. Potatohead (Don Rickles, Estelle Harris), Rex the Dinosaur (Wallace Shawn), Hamm the Piggybank ( John Ratzenberger), and Slinky Dog (Blake Clark) have been locked up in a toy box for quite some time, aching to be played with one last time. When Andy’s mother wants to get rid of the toys, Andy decides to take Woody to college with him and pack the other toys in an unmarked garbage bag to be stored in the attic. However, when Andy puts the bag down to help his little sister carry a box of old toys to be donated, his mother mistakes it for
garbage and leaves it outside to be picked up by the garbage man. Despite Woody’s insistence, Buzz and the other toys believe that Andy doesn’t care about them and opt to be donated to the Sunnyside Daycare Center. Once they arrive, they are greeted by a seemingly gentle teddy bear called Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty). After giving them a tour, Lotso promises that they don’t have the deal with the heartbreak of their owners abandoning them, as they will always be played with. Seeing his friends happy, Woody decides to leave and go back to Andy, but his escape attempt goes awry and he ends up in the hands of a kind little girl named Bonnie (Emily Hahn), who takes him home with her other toys. Buzz and his friends are in for a rude awakening as the toddlers at the daycare play with them too roughly. When they learn the truth that Andy never meant to throw them away they resolve to escape from Sunnyside. However, Lotso reveals his true colors and reprograms Buzz to keep his friends prisoner. At Bonnie’s, Woody has the best time of his life as he gets played with but learns from the other toys that Sunnyside is a prison for toys. Unable to leave his friends to such a fate, Woody enacts a daring rescue and races against time to get home to Andy before he leaves for college. “Toy Story 3” delivers a very simple tale but the simplest stories are often the most endearing. At its heart, the film is about the symbiotic relationship between a toy and its owner. For a toy to be fully content, Movies & Music
they have to be played with in such a way that allows the owner to utilize the full extent of their imagination. As we grow older, the things that we loved as children are pushed aside and although Woody does not want this to be so, he also knows he cannot fight the passage of time. Time is an interesting thing as children often believe that they have all the time in the world, but adults always worry about how little time they have to do the things they love. Friendship is always a core theme in Pixar’s films but they also explore the darker side of abandonment. Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear used to have a very loving owner but was inadvertently left behind and replaced. This causes him to snap and he twists that relationship between a toy and an owner. This is what makes Pixar’s films appeal to everyone because the themes they explore are universal and it is nice to have a reminder in this increasingly cynical world. Most people will leave the theater teary-eyed as the final minutes of “Toy Story 3” are one of the most heartfelt I’ve ever seen. It’s a love letter to everyone’s childhood and the toys that kept them company, a message to never mistreat others or give up on your friends because a good friend will ‘never give up on you.’ Pixar doesn’t forget to make us laugh and “Toy Story 3” has some very memorable comedic moments. The most advertised is the romance between Ken (Michael Keaton) and Barbie ( Jodi Benson), with tons of jabs at the fact that Ken is a ‘girl’s toy’; he whines that he isn’t. In Movies & Music
his ‘Dream House,’ he has a closet full of clothes that would make the girls in “Sex and the City” jealous. The most hilarious moment comes when Woody and his friends try to reprogram Buzz to his old self and resets him to Spanish Buzz, who goes crazy for Jessie and does the tango with her during the escape! There are also a couple of subtle movie references if you can spot them, including one from “Return of the Jedi” when Big Baby picks up Lotso and throws him into a garbage bin. Notice that Andy lives on ‘Elm’ Street. Whatever age group you belong too, “Toy Story 3” is a hilarious riot from beginning to end. The CG animation is still excellent but lacks the sense of newness when we first experienced it in the original “Toy Story.” Animated CG hasn’t really advanced much in the past 15 years but that doesn’t stop “Toy Story 3” from being a visual treat. Colors are vibrant and there’s a perfect attention to detail from Rex’s scaly exterior to the individual threads that hold Woody and Jessie together. I viewed the film in regular 3D and the results weren’t as eye-popping as I hoped but I would still hesitantly recommend it if you don’t mind the $5 surcharge. Otherwise, you’re not missing much if you view the film in 2D. The voice acting remains topnotch and even John Morris, who voiced Andy as a child, returns to voice him again as a young adult. Most filmmakers would’ve replaced him since it’s not likely anyone would notice anyway, but this is Pixar we’re talking about. They don’t do anything half-assed; they do things right or not at all. “Toy Story 3” was released into theaters on June 18, 2010 to critical acclaim with an astonishing 99% on Rotten Tomatoes. The previous films were rated at 100% but the little slip is due to controversial critic Armond White. I will admit that he is a very eloquent writer but the problem is that he references obscure films that regular people most likely have not heard of. He also goes on long rants that belittle the reader’s intelligence so you have to wonder just who his audience is. Reading his review, he destroys his credibility when he mistakes Hamm as one of the film’s villains and dismisses the film as celebrating consumerism. I also skimmed through his review of “Jonah Hex” and to no one’s surprise he praises the film as ‘true art.’ His criticism
is entertaining to read but I don’t consider him a serious film critic. “Toy Story 3” opened with an estimated $41 million and it was just as packed today though once again, the children couldn’t keep quiet or sit still. It’ll come in at #1 at the weekend box office with $110 to $120 million, making it the best opening for a Pixar film ever. Pixar once again defies all expectations, delivering a sequel that concludes the series with a very emotional moment, touching the hearts and minds of all ages. “Toy Story 3” is another masterpiece in Pixar’s impressive library and no matter your age, it’ll speak volumes of the importance of friendship and loyalty while making you look back fondly at your own childhood.
Final Rating: 5/5
To infinity and beyond! “Now Woody, he’s been my pal for as long as I can remember. He’s brave, like a cowboy should be, and kind and smart. But the thing that makes Woody special is he’ll never give up on you, ever. He’ll be there for you no matter what.”
Article by: SpiderMan120988 Design by: --=leon=--
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 44
MOVIE REVIEW
SALT RELEASED 23 JULY(US) 18AUGUST(UK) Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Violence and Action) Running Time: 1 Hour & 40 Minutes Cast: Angelina Jolie - Evelyn Salt Liev Schreiber - CIA Agent Ted Winter Chiwetel Ejiofor - Infernal Affairs Agent William Peabody August Diehl - Mike Krause Daniel Olbrychski - Orlov Hunt Block - U.S. President Lewis Olek Krupa - Russian President Matveyev Andre Braugher - U.S. Secretary of Defense Directed by Phillip Noyce
45 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Movies & Music
Written By: SpiderMan120988 Designed By: Prendy
W
ho is Salt? I don’t know- it’s a condiment that I put on my food so that it tastes better? Angelina Jolie has the best of both worlds and after a brief foray in drama with Clint Eastwood, she returns to being a kick-ass action heroine in the thriller “Salt.” If you’ve been paying attention to the news, the film received a nice boost in marketing with the coincidental discovery of several second-rate Russian spies, particularly one vivacious red head named Anna Chapman (real name Anna Kushchenko). “Salt” breezes by with its non-stop action scenes and is bolstered by the presence of Jolie, but the plot is too preposterous to take seriously and character development is virtually nonexistent. Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is an operative working with the Central Intelligence Agency who is captured in North Korea and is brutally tortured for information. Her husband, Mike Krause (August Diehl), insists that the CIA, which is led by her friend Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber), mount a rescue. They do so by negotiating a prisoner swap. Back at work and fully recovered, Salt prepares to celebrate her anniversary with her husband when a Russian defector named Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski) shows up. During his interrogation he reveals an operation called ‘Day X,’ which had been conceived at the height of the Cold War. The operation called for hundreds of children to be brainwashed into becoming sleeper agents in the U.S. and would fulfill their assignments when activated. Orlov also reveals that at the Vice President’s funeral, someone will assassinate the Russian president and that the person is none other than Evelyn Salt. Salt steadfastly denies the accusation and calls her husband fearing for his safety. A visiting Internal Affairs agent named William Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is skeptical and calls for Orlov to be questioned further, but he escapes. During the chaos, Salt attempts to escape as well, and manages to break through the building lockdown using a makeshift rocket launcher. Salt goes underground to confront her past and discover the mastermind that has framed her. Originally, Tom Cruise was to be the lead, but he feared it would be a “Mission Impossible” rip-off and did not commit; a wise move considering his dwindling popularity nowadays. The script was rewritten for Angelina Jolie with the intention of creating a female spy franchise similar to the “Bourne” films. Unfortunately, the story is a discombobulated mess and it doesn’t help that it’s predictable as hell. The film’s central mystery of whether Salt is a double agent is obvious from the get-go, even when she double and triple crosses both the CIA Movies & Music
and the KGB remnant. The twists come so suddenly, and with no build-up; it seems like the writers were making it up as they went alone. Somehow everyone manages to keep a straight face despite the increasingly preposterousness of their situation. Some drama is shoehorned in with Salt trying to find her husband, but much of the fat about their relationship has been cut out and what little that remains is superfluous. There are also plot holes galore, such as Salt sneaking past the dozens of Secret Service agents looking for her with nothing more than a flimsy hair dye disguise. The ending is also unsatisfactory as it sets everything up for a future sequel that may or may not come. It seems with a little more work, a memorable kick-ass female spy could’ve given Bourne and Bond a run for their money, but the lackluster plotting makes “Salt” a lifeless, pedestrian affair. The action is non-stop from beginning to end and straddles the line between PG-13 and R, but of course, Sony probably mandated the lower rating to appeal to the masses. It’s all over-the-top ridiculous, but it provides a visceral thrill. Salt pulls a “Fallout” when she uses a fire extinguisher and some cleaning products to create a makeshift rocket launcher and later on engages in a high speed chase that involves her leaping from vehicle to vehicle; defying all the laws of physics. When she is captured by the NYPD, she breaks out by
“The lackluster plotting makes “Salt” a lifeless, pedestrian affair.“ repeatedly tasering the driver. Numerous people are whacked unconscious, but the most memorable kill is when Salt uses her long handcuffs to kill a man by breaking his neck while hanging off a balcony. That produced a lot of whoops and cheers in the audience. Through all the explosions, Jolie maintains an aura of coolness that makes these scenes fun to watch. This isn’t an actor’s film, but Angelina Jolie’s mere presence helps keep the film from being a total loss. However, the rushed story has her going from confused fugitive to grim killing machine in a matter of minutes. Jolie’s disturbingly thin frame makes it hard to believe that she can knock anyone out with one hit, let alone dozens of men. The rest of the cast includes Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor phoning it in for the paycheck. “Salt” was released into theaters on July 23, 2010 and received mixed reviews with 55% on Rotten WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 46
Tomatoes. Critics noted that Jolie gives it her all but even she cannot ‘save [the film] from its predictable and ludicrous plot.’ Star power alone is not enough to guarantee box office success nowadays, but Jolie remains popular with males. Still, “Inception” is going to dominate a second week and early estimates pegged “Salt” with $33 million in second place. The film has earned $13 million since yesterday. Today was my unlucky day as the air conditioner was broken in the auditorium screening the movie and everyone was sweating into their seats. Parents once again show their total lack of responsibility by bringing kids, but fortunately, the bawling forced them to leave thanks to the trailers of “The Last Exorcism” and “Paranormal Activity 2.” “Salt” is nothing special, but it offers up one hundred minutes of ludicrous action scenes with Angelina Jolie. It’ll please the brainless and the masses but beyond that, there’s little of actual substance to help it differentiate from other generic action thrillers.
Final Rating: “They took everything from me. I’ll kill them.”
47 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Movies & Music
MOVIE REVIEW
Splice RELEASED 4 June(US) 23 July(UK)
Rated R (Disturbing Elements including Strong Sexuality, Nudity, Sci-Fi Violence and Language) Running Time: 1 Hour & 44 Minutes Cast: Adrien Brody - Clive Nicoli Sarah Polley - Elsa Kast Delphine Chanéac - Dren Brandon McGibbon - Gavin Nicoli Simona Maicanescu - Joan Chorot David Hewlett - William Barlow Abigail Chu - Young Dren Directed by Vincenzo Natali Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 48
Written By: SpiderMan120988 Designed By: Prendy
S
o far, the 2010 summer movie season has been a major disappointment. May started strong with the highly anticipated “Iron Man 2”, but then went into a downward spiral with weak sequels. People complain that Hollywood is incapable of making anything original anymore: they continuously release sequels until they drive their franchises into the ground or recycle old ideas by applying a fresh coat of paint, hoping no one actually notices that it is the same film they saw years ago. Don’t get me wrong, sequels can be good, but too many of them come out more like “Sex and the City 2” than “The Dark Knight“. Now, director Vincenzo Natali releases “Splice,” a science fiction/horror film unlike anything that has come before, tackling familiar themes and exploring territory that will prove disturbing for some audiences. The only major flaw is that the third act devolves into a predictable chase but is saved by a shocking ending. Clive Nicoli (Adrian Brody) and his girlfriend, Elsa Kast (Sarah Polley) are genetic engineers doing research on combining DNA from different types of species to create new hybrids for an unnamed pharmaceutical company. They succeed and manage to create two large maggotlike creatures, whom they nickname Fred and Ginger. Apparently, these two hybrids create a special type of protein that can revolutionize medicine and the company’s CEO, Joan Chorot (Simona Maicanescu) wants to patent it and make a profit. Elsa is excited to create a hybrid with human DNA but her superiors are against it as there are moral consequences to consider. She decides to do it anyway in secret and Clive reluctantly goes along. When the creature is finally born, they call it ‘Dren’ (Delphine Chanéac), who ages at an exponential rate, transforming into an oddly alluring female humanoid with velociraptor-like legs, a scorpion tale, and large wings. Dren’s presence soon threatens the couple’s relationship as they try to deal with the ethical boundaries they have crossed and the consequences it brings. Many people will treat “Splice” with derision and scorn. Of course, those same people continuously consume whatever crap Hollywood throws their way. The marketing of “Splice” has been all wrong as the commercials make it appear like a generic horror flick about a mad scientist’s creation gone wrong and ending up killing people. In fact, it’s the complete opposite! The most obvious theme of the film is that of ethics concerning science. It is reminiscent of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” (even the char49 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
acter’s names pay homage to the “Frankenstein” films of the 1930’s) in which a scientist decides to play God. Of course, once the initial thrills of success wear off, you’re left wondering just what the hell you’re going to do with your creation. Do you reveal it to the world? What if they react with fear and revulsion? These are the kinds of questions that Clive and Elsa deal with, and knowing that they crossed a line, they decide to keep it a secret as best they can. The couple finds themselves thrust into parenthood, whether they’re ready or not. Elsa is at first overjoyed as Dren (read it backwards) grows and with teaching her basic skills such as object recognition and the alphabet. Clive is on edge as he’s scared of what happens if people find out and is disturbed that his girlfriend would treat this ‘thing’ like a person. At one point, he tries to drown it but Dren suddenly develops gills and can breathe underwater. Elsa is overjoyed that Clive deduced that Dren is amphibious and the look on his face where he mumbles his agreement is priceless. As Dren reaches adulthood, the roles begin to switch and Elsa’s troubled childhood soon shows through in her actions as a parent. Since she is locked up in a barn all day, Dren manages to find a cat to keep her company but Elsa takes it away and shows signs of being abusive. Clive starts to be more accepting of Dren and at one point, dances with her. Despite its inherent strangeness, I found this scene oddly adorable. Dren soon develops romantic feelings for Clive and what follows is a unique take on the Elektra complex, touching upon bestiality, incest, and rape. I won’t reveal anymore here, but this is the part that will disgust many people if they can’t handle it. Dren undergoes a metamorphosis that leads to one of those lousy chase scenes that Hollywood can’t live without but the ending sets up a potential sequel. I don’t like the idea of a sequel as a film like this is more effective when it’s done in one go. Still, I’m curious as to what Natali will come up with next.
“The marketing of “Splice” has been all wrong as the commercials make it appear like a generic horror flick about a mad scientist’s creation gone wrong and ending up killing people. In fact, it’s the complete opposite!“ Movies & Music
The acting is good and the leads don’t take the material in an overly serious manner, managing to remain grounded despite the outlandishness of their situation. Adrian Brody won an Oscar in 2002’s “The Pianist” but his career hasn’t really taken off; his only successful film to date is Peter Jackson’s “King Kong.” He plays Clive as a scientist who is willing to take risks as long as it is in moral and legal boundaries. At first, against the idea of keeping Dren alive, he soon develops confused feelings and while you can guess what that leads to, I’ll leave that for you to find out. Sarah Polley hasn’t been in any mainstream films with the exception of Zack Snyder’s “Dawn of the Dead” remake in 2004. She’s the risk taker and doesn’t think about the consequences. Her troubled childhood is lightly touched upon but not explored, enough to give context to her actions toward Dren. However, what everyone will remember about “Splice” is French actress Delphine Chanéac as the adult Dren. As a child, she is played by Abigail Chu with a mixture of CG. I found the way she reacted to her new world rather cute as she hugged her teddy bear. Chanéac has no dialogue and must express what Dren is feeling through body language and facial expressions. Although it can end up feeling as if you’re watching a mime, Chanéac brings a vulnerability to Dren. Like all creatures, there’s a tragedy to her as she is unable go outside since she’ll be poked and prodded by scientists. The CG used for Dren’s lower body is rather impressive and looks seamless, despite the fact that Natali was working with a limited budget of only $26 million. Like last year’s “District 9,” “Splice” proves you don’t need to burn through large amounts of cash to tell a good story.
Final Rating:
“Human cloning is illegal. This thing won’t be human...not entirely.”
Released into theaters on June 4, 2010, “Splice” was shown during the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and was picked up by Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment/Warner Brothers. Reception has been positive with 72% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that while the film devolved into familiar horror clichés, ‘it is [still] a smart, well-acted treat for horror fans.’ Audience reaction of the film was highly immature though as many people reacted with derision and made fun of all the scenes, than reacted with disgust at the more disturbing content. This is not high-profile release so it’ll probably settle for sixth or seventh place on the weekend box office. “Splice” is not for everyone; it’s not your regular, play-it-safe studio film. Rather, it dares to take us to places that we may have wondered about and puts it on the screen in full glory. With too many sequels failing to live up to the hype and too little original ideas, “Splice” stands out from the pack despite its minor problems.
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 50
“This is China, Mom. Everybody knows kung-fu.”
A Cast: Jaden Smith --------------Jackie Chan --------------Taraji P. Henson --------Wen Wen Han ----------Zhen Wei Wang ---------Yu Rong Guang ----------
Dre Parker Mr. Han Sherry Parker Mei Ying Cheng Master Li
Rated PG (Bullying, Martial Arts, Action, Violence and Some Mild Language) Running Time: 2 Hours & 20 Minutes Directed by Harald Zwart 51 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
highly inaccurate statement, but I’ll let it pass. “The Karate Kid,” a remake of the 1984 film of the same name was released last Friday ( June 11), and had a superb opening weekend of $56 million. Remakes have not exactly inspired confidence for me since many of them often turn out unnecessary and recycle old ideas, defeating the purpose of a remake. The previous film, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” ended up being terrible. Much to my surprise, “The Karate Kid” is the complete opposite and, if Hollywood insists on doing more remakes, this is the example they must follow. Though the plot is predictable and the themes are obvious, the film still ends up being a rousing and inspiring success in a summer that has produced only disappointment. Twelve-year old Dre Parker ( Jaden Smith) is moving to Beijing, China since his mother, Sherry (Taraji P. Henson), has accepted a new job at a car manufacturing plant. On his first day in a new country, Dre meets a new friend and is playing basketball with the local kids when he notices a beautiful girl named Mei Ying (Wen Wen Han), a practicing violinist. At the insistence of his friend, he hesitantly talks to her and tries to impress her with his dance moves. However, a bully, Cheng (Zhen Wei Wang), becomes annoyed and knocks her sheet music away. Dre tries to intervene but Cheng, who is adept at kung-fu, brutally beats him and gives him a black eye. Seeking to learn how to defend himself, Dre watches a karate instructional video while Mr. Han ( Jackie Chan), the building’s maintenance man, arrives to fix the shower. At school, Dre is repeatedly bullied by Cheng and his friends. Unable to confide about the bullying to his mother, he only exclaims that he wants to go back home to Detroit and how he hates living in China. Fed up with Cheng, Dre tails him one day after school and hurls a bucket of dirty water at him. Cheng and his friends chase him through the streets and corner him near his apartment. With his friends holding him, Cheng repeatedly beats Dre into submission. Unsatisfied and taking his kung-fu teacher’s brutal doctrine of ‘no mercy’ to heart, Cheng prepares to land a finishing blow but a hand suddenly grabs him. It is Mr. Han, who comes to defend Dre and revealing his own kung-fu skills. Once Dre has recovered, Han takes him to see Master Li (Yu Rong Guang), Cheng’s kung-fu teacher, to apologize for any injuries his students may have sustained and request that they stop harassing Dre. To settle the matter once and for all, Li challenges Dre to fight Cheng but when Han refuses, he threatens him and says that he cannot leave the school until Dre or Han fights. Han reluctantly agrees but on two conditions: the fight will take place in an upcoming kung-fu tournament and that Li’s students must not harass Dre while he trains him. Excited at the prospect of learning kungfu, Dre begins his training with Mr. Han to earn the respect of his peers and defend his honor. Personally, I have never seen the original “Karate Movies & Music
Kid”, but many critics have pointed out that it follows the general plot closely, almost to a fault. Still, even if you haven’t viewed the original film, you can predict with 100% accuracy what’s going to happen. To create a more true ‘fish out of water’ experience, Dre is moving from the United States to China, a country where he is unfamiliar with the language and customs. The film explores the themes you would expect from an underdog tale, such as rising from nothing to becoming a champion, but there are certain elements which require some suspension of disbelief. The first act is rather brutal as Dre is repeatedly kicked and punched by Cheng- you wonder why no adults would come to his rescue until thirty minutes into the film. Master Li teaches his students the maxim, ‘No weakness, no pain, no mercy’ and during a sparring session, he slaps a student for hesitating to finish his opponent. His brutality is increasingly hard to swallow as he encourages his students to actively maim their opponents. While training with Mr. Han, Dre is repeatedly ordered to take off his jacket (a homage to ‘wax on, wax off ’), much to his dismay and he loses patience, failing to see the point of this ‘exercise.’ It is revealed that these actions are blocking techniques but again, it is hard to see how this could suddenly make you adept at kung-fu. For the sake of running time (which is rather lengthy for a kid’s film), much of the training is done through montages but it is no less impressive as you see Dre become more confident in his abilities. There are also some dramatic moments that moved me to tears and the love that develops between Dre and Mei Ying is charming and cute. “The Karate Kid” may not be all that original in material and concept, but it delivers some strong morality lessons that never feel forced down one’s throat and seeing Dre beaten down and getting up is inspiring. The acting was surprisingly good. My initial fear was that Jaden Smith would somehow screw it up—he was rather annoying in “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (another uninspired remake) — here, he displays the kind of charisma that made his father famous. Jackie Chan hasn’t had much box office success in recent years, but he delivers an excellent performance as Mr. Han. This is a more serious role that Americans might not be used to but Chan has been doing more dramatic work back in Hong Kong. Taraji P. Henson is Dre’s mother Sherry, the kind of overprotective mom you always see, but I wondered why they didn’t just use his real mother, Jada Pinkett Smith. The rest of the cast is comprised of Chinese actors; though their inexperience with English shows, they do a fine job. I don’t care what people say; the actress that plays Mei Ying, Wen Wen Han, is really pretty! Though the film is mostly serious, there’s some comedy to lighten the mood and director Harald Zwart makes the most out of the setting, with sweeping shots Movies & Music
of China’s Wudang Mountains to emphasize the peaceful serenity of kung-fu, the Great Wall, and Forbidden City. James Horner’s score is also epic but often sounds exactly like his work in “Avatar.” I also wished it stuck with the score rather than mixing it with tween pop music, which is grating on my ears. Released on June 11, 2010, “The Karate Kid” has received positive reviews with 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to 90% for the original. Critics felt that ‘it may not be as powerful as the 1984 edition, but the [remake] delivers a surprisingly satisfying update on the original.’ After three down weeks at the box office, the film revitalized the summer movie season with a $56 million opening weekend. Another 80’s flashback, “The A-Team” mustered only $26 million and came off as a generic action flick. Much has been made that Dre is learning kung-fu, not karate and some purists have condemned the film for using such a deceptive title. Karate originated from Japan while kung-fu is from China; racial tensions have continued to exist between the two nations ever since World War II. In most parts of the world, the film was released as it is but in China, Japan, and South Korea, the title was changed to “The Kung-Fu Kid” due to allegations of cultural ignorance and potential racism. If you ask me, people really need to lighten up. Although today is a weekday, I was surprised at how packed it was! The audience thoroughly enjoyed the film and applauded numerous times. With likable chemistry between Chan and Smith and strong moral themes, “The Karate Kid” is an entertaining, feel-good movie that anyone can enjoy—a successful remake of a beloved classic.
Article by: SpiderMan120988 Design by: --=leon=--
Final Rating: 4/5 “Life will knock us down, but we can choose to get back up. Remember, always strong!” WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 52
Movie Review
Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace Rated: PG (Sci-Fi Action/Violence) Running Time: 2 Hours & 16 Minutes Cast: Liam Neeson - Qui-Gon Jinn Ewan McGregor - Obi-Wan Kenobi Natalie Portman - Queen Padmé Naberrie Amidala Jake Lloyd - Anakin Skywalker Ahmed Best (voice) - Jar Jar Binks Ian McDiarmid - Senator Palpatine Anthony Daniels - C-3PO Kenny Baker - R2-D2 Frank Oz (voice) - Yoda Samuel L. Jackson - Mace Windu Ray Park - Darth Maul Hugh Quarshie - Captain Panaka Pernilla August - Shmi Skywalker Terence Stamp - Chancellor Finis Valorum Silas Carson - Viceroy Nute Gunray/Ki-Adi-Mundi Oliver Ford Davies - Governor Sio Bibble Directed by: George Lucas
REVIEW BY SPIDERMAN120988 DESIGN BY LORA
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 54
E
very time I watch a “Star Wars” film, it’s like seeing it for the first time. Even though I know how the story will end, every line of dialogue, how all the Jedi and Sith parry with their lightsabers, I am still in awe when I view these films. If it is not apparent from that sentence, I am a huge “Star Wars” nerd, and that’s an understatement. Though
Movie Review “Star Wars” has made legions of fans, I still encounter a few people who treat the saga with disdain but what George Lucas has created will always stay a part of me even when I reach old age. It has become one of the most defining attributes of my personality and if I get married, my wife had better damn like “Star Wars” as well! If you don’t know (then shame on you!), Lucas made the original “Star Wars” in 1977 and it was unlike anything anybody had seen before thanks to its groundbreaking special effects. In fact, 20th Century Fox had so little confidence in the film that they let Lucas keep all the rights to future sequels and merchandising because they thought they were ripping him off! Ah, studio executives, your stupidity never ceases to amaze me. After the first film’s unprecedented success, Lucas made two more sequels, released in 1980 and 1983, respectively and that was the end of it…or so we thought. Lucas wasn’t finished with the story yet, as he was keen to go back to the beginning and tell the story of how Darth Vader was born (notice I’m avoiding major spoilers for those who STILL haven’t seen the films and believe me, they’re out there!). Plus, the original films were renamed Episodes IV, V and VI which supported the prequel argument. It wasn’t until 1994 that Lucas started working on the script for Episode I, as he believed that the recent advances in special effects, as shown in 1993’s “Jurassic Park” had advanced to the level that he deemed adequate. Finally, sixteen years after the release of “Return of the Jedi,” the first film of the prequel trilogy, “Star Wars Episode I The Phan55 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
tom Menace” finally arrived into theaters on May 19, 1999. The hype for the film was indescribable as hardcore fans lined up to see the film weeks in advance, something that’ll probably never happen again with the crap Hollywood continues to churn out year after year. Don’t get me wrong, there are still good films being made, but nothing will ever come as close to what “Star Wars” has achieved. I’ve probably said too much already and so it begins, my most anticipated review, starting from the beginning of the tale with Episode I. I will admit, I prefer the original trilogy but I never understood all the hate for “The Phantom Menace.” It definitely didn’t turn out to be the life-changer people expected (that’s what happens when the hype gets so big, it’s impossible to meet them) but overall the film is a joy to watch and the lightsaber duel at the end is one of the saga’s best and was worth the price of admission alone at the time. Most of my major complaints about the film are obvious, the often cringe-worthy antics of that creature called Jar Jar Binks and the fact that some of plot elements seem to rely heavily on coincidence with the whole ‘Force works in mysterious ways’ shtick. 32 years before the events of “Episode IV A New Hope,” the Old Republic is faced with squabbling delegates who can’t get even the simplest matters decided. Meanwhile, a trade dispute with the powerful Trade Federation, led by Viceroy Nute Gunray (Silas Carson), and the Outer Rim planets of the Galactic Republic leads to
“He is the Chosen One. He will bring balance. Train him!” the blockade of the peaceful planet of Naboo, ruled by 14 year old Queen Padmé Amidala
(Natalie Portman). Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum (Terrance Stamp), leader of the Galactic Senate, secretly sends two Jedi Knights, Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) to try and resolve the situation. Unfortunately, they are attacked by a group of battle droids on orders of the mysterious Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious. The Trade Federation promptly begins to send a massive droid invasion fleet which begins conquering the surface of Naboo. QuiGon and Obi-Wan manage to stow aboard a ship and make it to the surface, and with the help of a local Gungan, Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best) they manage to rescue the Queen from a small group of battle droids. They try to make a break for the blockade in the Queen’s personal cruiser, which has no weapons and thanks to the timely intervention of R2-D2, they succeed. However, their hyperdrive was damaged in the attack and they are forced to land on the desert planet of Tatooine for repairs. Qui-Gon, Jar-Jar, Padmé, and R2-D2 set out to the Mos Eisley spaceport to look for parts and while perusing a junk dealer’s shop, come upon a slave boy named Anakin Skywalker ( Jake Lloyd). As Republic credits can’t be used, Anakin, despite some hesitance
from his mother, agrees to help Qui-Gon win enough money to buy the parts they need by entering into the Boonta Eve Pod Race. Sensing the boy is unusually strong in the Force, Qui-Gon arranges for his freedom if Anakin wins. Through skill (and luck), Anakin wins the race and is free to go with Qui-Gon to be trained as a Jedi. As the Galactic Senate is mired in petty politics, Amidala takes it upon herself to retake the planet but a shadowy Sith apprentice, Darth Maul (Ray Park) soon enters the picture, hinting that someone may be orchestrating a grander scheme. Movies & Music
The film’s structure follows a similar formula of the other films where, after a rousing opening that sets up the main threat, things slow down a little until the grand finale appears. However, it seems to rely on too many lucky coincidences, especially when Anakin manages to destroy the droid control battleship just by blind dumb luck. I know it’s supposed to recall Luke destroying the Death Star but at least he used the Force, here it’s just implied! Finally, another point of contention is the scientific explanation of the Force by introducing midi-chlorians. It took away from the Movies & Music
spiritual aspect of the Force and was a detail that felt unnecessary. At the end of the day, “The Phantom Menace” is just a movie and an entertaining one at that, but older fans were disappointed that it wasn’t the life-changer they expected and non-fans were just confused at the sheer amount of aliens on-screen that it just reinforced their belief that “Star Wars” is for nerds living in their mom’s basement. Whatever your feelings, it reaffirmed the franchise as a pivotal part of American popular culture. The acting is rather mixed but then again, “Star Wars” was never known for great acting. Still, part of what made the original trilogy fun to watch was that the actors themselves also seemed to be having fun as well. Liam Neeson brings a quiet nobility to Qui-Gon and though Ewan McGregor ends up doing little, you can sense Obi-Wan’s headstrong nature that will eventually lead him to become a wise Jedi Knight. Natalie Portman was probably one of the first, if not THE first, female celebrity crushes I had and is a great actress. However, in this film, she tends to be too passive and delivers all her lines in a monotone, switching from a forced British accent to an American one inconsistently. As for one of the most important characters in “Star Wars” canon, Jake Lloyd is not the Anakin Skywalker I had envisioned. He’s a little too happygo-lucky and it’s hard to see him as one of the most feared Sith Lords in the galaxy. There are some hints that Anakin has a temper, as he glares at Yoda and Mace Windu when they decide that he shouldn’t be trained as a Jedi due to a ‘clouded future.’ There’s also the fact that he only leaves his mother reluctantly and that he is unable to let go, a trait that would eventually become exploited and lead to his fall. Ian McDiarmid is Naboo’s senator, Palpatine, a character that exudes charm but is at heart, power hungry and manipulative. I already know who he will become but for now, I will say that despite his limited screen-time, he is a pivotal character in future events. Finally, there’s martial arts expert Ray Park as Darth Maul, one of the most memorable Sith characters in the saga with his fearsome visage. As for Jar Jar, the less said about him, the better. The special effects and music were beyond amazing but unfortunately, it was beaten by “The Matrix” at the 2000 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects, Sound and Sound Effects and received several Golden Raspberry nominations. Every scene is crammed with all manner of alien species and there are several WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 56
Movie Review
Unless you picked and analyze every scene in the film, most of you will probably be at a loss after reading that summary as it just seems like I’m just throwing a bunch of funny sounding names at you. It’s surprising how Lucas touches upon same themes and motifs as in Episode IV. The subtitle of “The Phantom Menace” references the rising presence of the Sith and the dark side while “A New Hope” would signify Luke Skywalker’s pivotal role in bringing down the Galactic Empire. While the story does a great job of setting up the plot threads that would eventually be resolved in Episode VI, the biggest problem I feel is that the film seems to be missing the charm of the original trilogy. The last three films had likable characters and you were emotionally invested in what was happening to them but with Episode I (and the prequels), the visual effects tend to overwhelm the story. The only time where the film comes close to being dramatic is when Anakin bids farewell to his mother, Shmi (Pernilla August). Lucas gives Anakin a Christ-like, savior aspect (Qui-Gon suspects him to the Chosen One) as he was conceived with no father and that it was the will of the Force that allowed him to be born. Anakin shares a growing romantic bond with Padmé but the dialogue between them tends to feel lifeless. An inordinate amount of time is spent on Jar Jar’s clumsy antics to appeal to children and this is Episode I’s greatest failing. Racial stereotype or not, this guy is just really annoying and any sane Jedi would probably slash him in half with his/her lightsaber, dark side be damned! The final battle has four parts happening concurrently and one of them involves the Gungans going up against the droid army of the Trade Federation. It is entirely composed of Jar Jar running around like an idiot and he seems to survive just on his inane clumsiness. Some of the comedy will produce a chuckle but for the most part, you’ll just be shaking your fists and asking Lucas why.
Movie Review
nice nods to Expanded Universe characters such as Aurra Sing during the pod race sequence. Speaking of the pod race, it’s heavily inspired by the chariot race from “Ben-Hur” and is a thrill to watch, though it tends to go on for a little too long. If there was one good thing everybody agreed upon, it was the duel between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul. Much of it could be attributed to the excellent choreography and the fact that it was the first time anyone had seen a double-bladed lightsaber. As their blades clash, John Williams’ epic “Duel of the Fates” plays in the background and there are subtle cues to Darth Vader’s theme, “The Imperial March.” Whatever its flaws, Lucas has time and again set the bar high when it comes to making special effects. “Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace” was released into theaters on May 19, 1999 and broke all manner of box records at the time with an opening weekend of $65 million. The film eventually grossed $431 million domestic and $924 million worldwide, becoming the most successful “Star Wars” movie ever. It was a different story when it came to critical reception as it was mixed at best, with 62% on Rotten Tomatoes. Many critics felt that Lucas had let the effects overwhelm the characters and the story but the film was still a wonder to behold. Fan backlash was incredibly intense owing much to the fact that it was overhyped beyond belief that it was simply impossible for “The Phantom Menace” to meet them. Some disgruntled fans even re-edited the film and released as “The Phantom Edit.” The prequels are still viewed as inferior and yes, Jar Jar may be annoying but as a beginning to one of the greatest tales ever told, “The Phantom Menace” gets the job done perfectly and we couldn’t have asked for more. Final rating:
3.5 out of 5
57 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Movies & Music
Rated: PG (Sustained Sequences of Sci-Fi Action/Violence) Running Time: 2 Hours & 22 Minutes Cast: Ewan McGregor - Obi-Wan Kenobi Natalie Portman - Senator Padmé Naberrie Amidala Hayden Christensen - Anakin Skywalker Ian McDiarmid - Supreme Chancellor Palpatine Christopher Lee - Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus Temuera Morrison - Jango Fett Anthony Daniels - C-3PO Kenny Baker - R2-D2 Frank Oz (voice) - Yoda Samuel L. Jackson - Mace Windu Jimmy Smits - Senator Bail Organa Pernilla August - Shmi Skywalker Silas Carson - Viceroy Nute Gunray/Ki-Adi-Mundi Daniel Logan - Boba Fett Jack Thompson - Cliegg Lars Joel Edgerton - Owen Lars Bonnie Maree Piesse - Beru Whitesun Ahmed Best (voice) - Jar Jar Binks Directed by: George Lucas
REVIEW BY SPIDERMAN120988 DESIGN BY LORA
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 58
Movie Review
Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones
A “
Movie Review
Jedi shall not know anger, nor hatred, nor love.” This statement that was written on the first teaser poster is what defines “Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones,” the second part in the prequel trilogy that chronicles the birth of Darth Vader, one of the greatest villains in American cinema history. After the rather negative backlash with Episode I, George Lucas had some help this time with writing duties but while most people felt that it was improvement over its predecessor, it was only marginal. For me, this is my least favorite “Star Wars” film and much of it is due to the slow pacing that it almost becomes a drag. Lucas once again ups the ante in terms of special effects with the film closing with a massive battle and a kickass lightsaber duel with Yoda but the sweeping epic romance that was promised falls flat due to terrible dialogue, almost like badly written Shakespeare. It’s a more serious film that does away with Episode I’s problems but also introduces several new ones. Ten years after the events of Episode I, the Old Republic is in turmoil when a separatist movement gathers strength due to the machinations of a mysterious former Jedi named Count Dooku (Christopher Lee). This turn of events prompts the Galactic Senate to create an army in the event the separatists decide to spark a war. Formerly the queen of Naboo, Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) returns to the capital world of Coruscant to vote against creating an army, hoping to find a diplomatic solution. However, when her cruiser lands, a bomb goes off that destroys the ship and takes the life of her decoy. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) requests that the Jedi Council assign Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) to protect her. Another assassination attempt is made on Amidala’s life later that night and the two Jedi give chase.
59 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
However, the assassin is killed by an armored bounty hunter before they can learn anything useful. The Council decides to send Obi-Wan to find this assailant while Anakin will continue to protect the senator on Naboo. Despite being bound to the code of the Jedi, Anakin finds that he cannot resist Padmé any longer and declares his love for her. Although she initially rejects him, the two slowly begin to fall in love. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan tracks the bounty hunter to the Outer Rim planet Kamino, where he learns that they are creating a clone army for the Republic using the DNA of one Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) at the request of a deceased Jedi Master named SifoDyas. Continuing his investigation, he soon learns that the Trade Federation is working with Dooku and with their massive droid army, wish to spark a war. Anakin begins to suffer nightmares of his mother in pain and against his orders, returns to his home planet of Tatooine. Things take a turn for the worse when the Separatists and the Republic finally battle on Geonosis, sparking the Clone Wars.
“Victory? Victory you say? Master Obi-Wan, not victory. The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun the Clone War has.” While “The Phantom Menace” successfully sets up the plot lines that would be resolved by Episode VI, many found the film too focused on comedic elements to draw in younger audiences, much to the chagrin of older fans. Jar Jar Binks was a very annoying character so rejoice that he has very limited screentime here! Although Lucas took the criticism of Episode I to heart, he created a new set of problems. “Attack of the Clones” suffers from a languidly slow pace after the first thirty minutes, devoting itself to the growing romance between Anakin and Padmé. I never thought I would say this for a “Star Wars” film but it came dangerously close to being boring. We’re constantly told that they are in love but we don’t feel it and this can be at-
tributed to the terrible dialogue and its stiff delivery, especially the fireplace scene when Anakin professes his feelings. It reads like a poor man’s Shakespeare. Lucas also tends to use the same camera angles during dialogue scenes. The editing is also problematic as it constantly cuts between the two storylines happening concurrently. Being the middle chapter, Episode II shares some motifs from “The Empire Strikes Back” where events take a dark turn once the Republic decides to implement the Clone Troopers, wearing armor that are precursors to the Stormtroopers in the original trilogy. Palpatine’s rise to power is similar to Adolf Hitler where he is granted emergency powers to deal with the crisis involving the Separatists. The technology is also catching up as we also see pre-Star Destroyers with the familiar triangular shape and finally, there’s a holographic blueprint of the Death Star. Lucas also recreates the Lars homestead and it looks just like it did in “A New Hope.” The story finally picks up speed in the final 40 minutes where we’re treated to a massive battle between the outnumbered Jedi and Separatist Droid Army and later, with the Clone Army of the Republic. This battle scene, along with the subsequent duel between Yoda and Dooku is what saves Episode II. “Attack of the Clones” is a darker film but it inherits a flaw from its predecessor with the visuals once again overwhelming the story, which keeps us from being emotionally invested in what the characters are going through. There is some slight improvement with the acting but Hayden Christensen makes for a rather petulant Anakin Skywalker. He succeeds in showing that he is a fast learner and wise beyond his years, but he comes off as a whiny child when throwing his temper tanMovies & Music
Once again the visual effects prove to be the high point of the film and there’s so much CG that it borders on the ridiculous. During the first 30 minutes, we’re treated to a high speed chase through the skies of Coruscant and midway, Obi-Wan and Jango Fett battle in the rain soaked hanger on Kamino. Finally, all hell literally breaks loose when Mace Windu and his team of Jedi Knights battle the massive droid army of the Separatists, buying time for Yoda and the Clone Army to arrive. The lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan, Anakin and Count Dooku is nothing special but that changed once Yoda finally arrived and proved once and for all why he is the most badass Jedi! Although the film received a nomination at the 2003 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects, it lost to “The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers.” You’ll also notice that the picture looks a lot sharper since it was filmed with high definition cameras. John Williams once again delivers a masterpiece score with a sweeping romantic theme called “Across the Stars;” I just wish the actual romance was as good as the music that accompanied it and he closes the film with Darth Vader’s theme playing full blast as Palpatine looks on his Clone Army. He also subtly inserts this theme when Anakin is overcome with anger and hatred. “Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones” was released on May 16, 2002 (with a limited, re-edited IMAX run in November due Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 60
Movie Review
trums, frequently yelling, ‘It’s not fair!’ Still, we can see the darkness building up in him and his inability to let his loved ones go will prove to be his undoing. His heart is in the right place but he cannot accept the fact that all living things will eventually die. He also exhibits a slight arrogance in his behavior as he believes Jedi are above regular people. This time around Natalie Portman doesn’t sport a British accent and is a bit more assertive. She still comes off as a little bland, which doesn’t help in making the romance convincing but at least she gets to wear some exquisite costumes that reveal a little skin. Ewan McGregor now gets to do more as Obi-Wan instead of standing around waving his lightsaber. He acts as both surrogate father and teacher to Anakin, trying to teach his young apprentice more patience and be less reckless. Ian McDiarmid is back as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and there is this scene where he subtly drops hints on events to come involving Anakin’s fall. Christopher Lee is Count Dooku but due to his limited screen-time, he doesn’t make much of an impression.
Movie Review
to technical limitations) and made $80 million during opening weekend, which was overshadowed by “Spider-Man,” which made $115 in three days. Critical reception was mixed with 66% on Rotten Tomatoes with much of the dialogue labeled as stiff or lifeless. The film grossed $310 million domestic and $649 million worldwide, much less than “The Phantom Menace.” It was overshadowed by “Spider-Man” and “The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers,” both of which received better reviews and it wasn’t the highest grossing film in its year of release. “Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones” helps move the overall plot forward and sets the stage for Episode III but while Lucas worked hard to fix the many problems of Episode I, new ones are introduced as it is bogged down by a slow pace that threatens to derail the film and cringeinducing dialogue for the romantic aspects. There are still rousing lightsaber battles and awe-inducing special effects but this is certainly not “Star Wars” at its best. Final rating:
3 out of 5
61 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Movies & Music
Rated: PG-13 (Sci-Fi Violence and Some Intense Images) Running Time: 2 Hours & 20 Minutes Cast: Ewan McGregor - Obi-Wan Kenobi Natalie Portman - Padmé Naberrie Amidala Hayden Christensen - Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader Ian McDiarmid - Supreme Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine Christopher Lee - Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus Matthew Wood (voice) - General Grievous Anthony Daniels- C-3PO Kenny Baker - R2-D2 Frank Oz (voice) - Yoda Samuel L. Jackson - Mace Windu Jimmy Smits - Senator Bail Organa Chewbacca - Peter Mayhew Silas Carson - Viceroy Nute Gunray/Ki-Adi-Mundi Joel Edgerton - Owen Lars Bonnie Maree Piesse - Beru Whitesun Ahmed Best (voice) - Jar Jar Binks Keisha Castle-Hughes - Queen Apailana Wayne Pygram - Governor Wilhuff Tarkin Directed by: George Lucas
REVIEW BY SPIDERMAN120988 DESIGN BY LORA
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 62
Movie Review
Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith
Movie Review
T
he saga is now complete. George Lucas finally completed his epic space opera that he began in 1977 with the release of “Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith” in 2005, completing the prequel trilogy that told the story of how Darth Vader was corrupted to the dark side of the Force. While Episodes I and II received a mixed reception from both critics and fans, Lucas finally delivered the “Star Wars” film we were waiting for, ending the venerable franchise with one final hurrah. As this is the darkest entry yet, “Revenge of the Sith” packs the emotional punch missing from the previous installments and changes the way we view the original trilogy forever.
apprentice, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) manage to fight their way through to Grievious’ flagship, Invisible Hand, and are confronted by Count Dooku holding Palpatine hostage. A lightsaber duel ensues where Kenobi is knocked unconscious but Anakin manages to disarm Dooku easily. Goaded by Palpatine, he reluctantly decapitates Dooku. Along with R2D2, the three attempt to escape the ship but are captured by battle droids and brought before General Grievious. Fortunately, R2-D2 pro-
the same fate as his mother, he seeks counsel from Yoda (voice of Frank Oz). Palpatine soon reveals his true identity to Anakin as Darth Sidious, and that by becoming his apprentice he can have the power to save Padmé. Conflicted, Anakin informs Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) of what he has learned
Three years after the Battle of Geonosis in “Attack of the Clones,” the Old Republic is engulfed in a civil war with the Separatists known as the Clone Wars. In a daring move, Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and Grievous (voice of Matthew Wood), the general of the Separatist Droid Army, attack Coruscant and kidnap Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his former
vides a distraction and the Jedi break free of their bonds, battling with two Magna Guards and forcing Grievious to flee to a nearby Trade Federation battleship. As the Invisible Hand suffered major damage trading laser fire with a Star Destroyer, it begins to descend into free-fall toward Coruscant. Anakin and Obi-Wan take the controls, managing to land the craft despite it splitting in two as it entered the atmosphere. While Obi-Wan reports to the Jedi Council, Anakin rushes to see his wife, Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), who reveals to him that she is pregnant. Later that night, Anakin suffers a nightmare where he sees his wife dying during childbirth. Fearing
but knowing that he cannot live without his beloved wife, confronts Palpatine as he is battling with Windu. As Windu makes the killing blow, he slices off his arm and Palpatine kills him with a torrent of Sith Lightning. Knowing that there is no turning back, Anakin pledges his allegiance to Palpatine, who renames him as Darth Vader and sends him to destroy the Jedi Temple and all its inhabitants with a legion of Clone Troopers. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan is on Utapau, dueling with General Grievous while Clone Troopers battle with the Separatists. After killing the cyborg general, the Clone Troopers turn on Obi-Wan after Palpatine activates Order 66, beginning the Great Jedi Purge and the rise of the Galactic Empire. Obi-Wan manages to escape and meet up with Yoda and Senator Bail Organa ( Jimmy Smits), learning the terrible truth about his
63 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Movies & Music
“Revenge of the Sith” is a rather straightforward movie and since we know how it all
ends, it’s all a matter of filling in the missing pieces. Almost all the problems of the previous installments have now been eliminated and the annoying Jar Jar is left with only one line and a screen-time of mere seconds. Any remaining issues are minor quibbles at best. The romantic dialogue between Anakin and Padmé is still terrible but at least we don’t
have to have to listen to it for two hours. You’ll also wonder where General Grievous came from and for that you’ll have to look at the Clone Wars animated series on Cartoon Network. The pacing is a little uneven as after the first thirty minutes, things slow down and once Anakin turns to the dark side, the film picks up speed and feels rushed. Granted, Lucas had to resolve every plotline from Episode I and set up everything for the original trilogy in a way that makes sense, no easy task but he has succeeded. For all the flack he took, he managed to come through at the end and whatever your opinion is of him, there is no denying his influence in American cinema and popular culture. When Anakin is finally corrupted by the dark side, it’s rather abrupt and lacks a natural progression. The biggest success of “Revenge of the Sith” is that it has the emotional depth missing from Episodes I and II, where the visual effects often overwhelmed everything. It reinforces the fact that Anakin is a tragic figure because of a fatal character flaw: his inability to move on when his loved ones pass from this world. His obsession with trying to save everyone, to prove to himself that he is better, led to his turn to the dark side. While his intentions were in the right place, they were twisted by half-truths
"You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"
and lies, until finally Anakin died and Darth Vader was born. I will admit parts of the film almost brought me to tears, especially when Padmé pleads with her husband to leave everything behind to raise their children and you hear Anakin talking about overthrowing Palpatine and ruling the galaxy with his wife. It helps connect to the original trilogy and emphasizes how far Anakin has fallen. When Obi-Wan severs his former apprentice’s arms and legs, you see Anakin helpless, kept alive only by his rage. Finally, once Darth Vader wears the famous black armor, ‘we aren’t so much experiencing the emergence of Vader as we are seeing the final death throes of Anakin’ ( James Berardinelli, ReelViews). The acting is much improved this time around Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 64
Movie Review
former apprentice. As Yoda prepares to battle with the newly-christened Emperor Palpatine, Obi-Wan travels to the volcanic planet of Mustafar and confronts Anakin, who is now consumed by the dark side.
as Hayden Christensen is not as petulant as you first saw him and effectively conveys the desperation about losing his wife, the kind of desperation that would drive a man to do almost anything. Ewan McGregor, sporting
emy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects but for Make Up instead, which it lost to ‘The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.’ After 23 years, “Star Wars” was finally over, much to the sadness of fans and non-fans were probably glad that they didn’t have to deal with such a ‘nerd’ franchise anymore. Still, while there will be no more movies made (with the exception of the CG animated “Clone Wars” film in 2008), “Star Wars” lives on in television, comics, and literature. George Lucas had created one of the most defining epic science fiction franchises of the past two decades, reaping millions and transforming regular folk into overnight nerds. It revolutionized the way special effects were utilized and created characters that people loved (and hated). With “Star Wars Epi-
“Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith” was released on May 19, 2005, which was a Thursday and was one of the most highly anticipated films of that year. Reception was very enthusiastic with 80% on Rotten Tomatoes with critics praising that ‘this sixth and final installment of George Lucas’ epic space opera will please die-hard fanatics and nonbelievers alike—largely due to awesome digital effects and the sheer power of the mythology.’ The film had a 4-day weekend gross of $158 million and going on to make $380 million domestic and $849 million worldwide. Unfortunately, despite the better reception, “Revenge of the Sith” did not receive an Acad-
sode III Revenge of the Sith,” Lucas changed the way we view and analyze the original trilogy; the story, for all intents and purposes, was always about Anakin Skywalker, his corruption and eventual redemption…but that’s another story to be looked into!
Movie Review
Anakin on Mustafar. The fights are as epic as they get, as all the combatants use every trick they know to gain the upper hand. John Williams delivers a moving score that emphasizes the darkness that has engulfed the galaxy.
an Alec Guinness beard, is in fine form as Obi-Wan. Even Natalie Portman gets to convey more emotion as she is heartbroken at what her husband has become. The actor that stands out is Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine. He smiles through his teeth and when Anakin becomes his apprentice, notice the way he says that ‘we’ can discover the secret of cheating death. This means he doesn’t know it himself and has no intention of saving Padmé. When he finally becomes the disfigured Emperor that we first saw in “Return of the Jedi,” you can feel 23 years of story finally coming together. Once again Lucas and his visual effects team deliver on some stunning space battles and lightsaber duels, though they are less memorable. There’s much more action than the previous installments. The film opens with a massive fleet of Star Destroyers and precursor X-Wings locked in battle with the Separatists. Later, Obi-Wan duels with General Grievous, who wields four lightsabers! Mace Windu clashes blades with Palpatine and the film ends with two concurrent battles: one with Yoda and Emperor Palpatine in the Senate Chamber and the other with Obi-Wan and
65 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Final Rating:
4.5 out of 5
Movies & Music
Movie Review
Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope Rated: PG (Sci-Fi Violence and Brief Mild Language) Running Time: 2 Hours & 5 Minutes Cast: Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker Carrie Fisher - Princess Leia Organa Harrison Ford - Han Solo Alec Guinness - Obi-Wan Kenobi Peter Mayhew - Chewbacca James Earl Jones (voice) - Darth Vader Peter Cushing - Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin Anthony Daniels - C-3PO Kenny Baker - R2-D2 Phil Brown - Owen Lars Shelagh Fraser - Beru Whitesun Lars Alex McCrindle - General Jan Dodonna Denis Lawson - Wedge Antilles/Red Two Garrick Hagon - Biggs Darklighter/Red Three Directed by: George Lucas
REVIEW BY SPIDERMAN120988 DESIGN BY LORA
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 66
A “
Movie Review
long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” With this simple tagline, George Lucas created one of the greatest science fiction films ever to be released in 1977, a film that has been unmatched even after 33 years and numerous re-releases. Yes, I’m talking about “Star Wars,” as it was originally known but the more complete title nowadays is “Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope.” The original film was a simple tale of good vs. evil but the specifics of the characters were slowly revealed over the next two films, “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.” Of course, we all knew that wasn’t the end of the story as Lucas decided to go back to the beginning with the release of the prequel trilogy in 1999 to 2005. The original trilogy has gone through several changes since then, some welcome, others highly controversial. For its twentieth anniversary, all three films were re-released in theaters as “Special Editions.” Even more changes were introduced when they finally debuted on DVD in 2004, along with the original, unaltered theatrical versions that older fans are so fond of. Despite many of the special effects looking archaic, “A New Hope” is a perfect space opera in every way with likable characters and a compelling story. For many, including myself, THIS was the film that forever changed their lives and turned them into lifelong fans.
“Luke, the Force will be with you...always.” Nineteen years after the events of “Revenge of the Sith” which saw the birth of Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire, a new civil war has engulfed the galaxy in the form of the Rebel Alliance. Aboard the Tantive IV, Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) stores the information regarding the Empire’s super weapon known as the Death Star into R2-D2’s (Kenny Baker) memory. Her ship is soon intercepted by a Star Destroyer and she is captured by Darth Vader (voice of James Earl Jones) and his legion of Stormtroopers. Meanwhile, R2D2 and his companion, C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) board an escape pod and crash-land on the Outer Rim planet Tatooine. After wandering in the desert for some time, they are captured by Jawas and are sold to a moisture farmer named Owen Lars, whose nephew is Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). While clean67 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
ing R2-D2, Luke stumbles upon a message from Leia pleading for help from an Obi-Wan Kenobi. The droid later runs off looking for Kenobi and Luke has to go after him. When he does find him, he is attacked by Tusken Raiders but is rescued by Obi-Wan (Alec Guinness), or as Luke knows him, Ben. One of the last few remaining Jedi, Obi-Wan now lives alone in t h e
Dune Sea. At his home, he listens to Leia’s message and gives Luke his father’s lightsaber. He also tries to persuade him to come along with him and learn the ways of the Force but Luke refuses. When he discovers that Stormtroopers had brutally murdered his aunt and uncle, he changes his mind and asks to be trained as a Jedi to follow in his father’s footsteps. At the Mos Eisley spaceport, Obi-Wan gets passage to Alderaan by promising 17,000 credits to a smuggler named Han Solo (Harrison Ford), whose first mate is a Wookie named Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). After narrowly escaping from two Star Destroyers, Solo’s ship, the Millennium Falcon, makes it to Alderaan but finds nothing but an asteroid field. Under the orders of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin (Peter Cushing), the Death Star was used to destroy the planet to set an example of the power of the Empire. The Falcon is captured by the Death Star and Obi-Wan decides to go alone to deactivate the tractor beam. R2-D2 manages to locate Leia at Detention Block AA-23, prompting Luke and Han (after some prodding) to attempt a rescue. Despite numerous Stormtroopers impeding their progress, they are successful but when they try to escape, Luke sees ObiWan locked in a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader. To buy him time to escape, Obi-Wan
sacrifices himself. The Falcon travels to Yavin 4, where the ragtag Rebel Alliance makes a desperate attempt to destroy the Death Star. Watching the original “Star Wars” always makes me excited because Lucas’ ‘space epic has colonized our imaginations, and it is hard to stand back and see it simply as a motion picture, because it has so completely become part of our memories’ (Roger Ebert). I remember fondly when I first came upon the film while channel surfing and saw the fearsome visage of Darth Vader, so many years ago. At that instant, a “Star Wars” fan was born. The story of “A New Hope” is classic good vs. evil, heavily inspired by the serial films of “Flash Gordon,” the samurai films of Akira Kurosawa and Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” a book that discusses the archetypal hero found in many world religions and myths. As in the prequels, Lucas manages to cram as many aliens as he can into one frame and this was working with only an $11 million production budget! The Mos Eisley cantina has the Bith playing that familiar tune, the Aqualish that wants to pick a fight with Luke, the Duros conversing in the corner and finally the smirking Devaronian. One of the best scenes which I feel defines the entire film is when Luke looks out to the horizon as the twin suns of Tatooine set while John Williams’ sweeping score plays in the background. Like his father, Luke does not want a meager existence on a distant world, he wants to go out and make something of himself. This opportunity pres-
Movies & Music
Movie Review
ents itself when the Empire takes away the only family he’s ever had and it is here that he differs from Anakin, who would obsess over the fact that he could not save the ones he love. Although Luke is overcome with grief, he does not dwell on it for long because in the end, there is nothing he could’ve done, but what he CAN do is make their deaths mean something. For me, “A New Hope” is about finding your place in the galaxy and taking that first step toward a larger destiny. Part of the charm of “Star Wars” is the characters and it wouldn’t matter if Lucas wrote the greatest script ever if he picked terrible actors but thankfully he did not. Although Mark Hamill’s career never took off after “Star Wars,” he makes for an immature yet idealistic protagonist in Luke Skywalker. He’s a guy you can count on to have your back. Carrie Fisher is feisty and displays plenty of spunk as Princess Leia Organa, something that is lacking from Natalie Portman’s Padmé Amidala. Finally, there’s Harrison Ford as Han Solo, the wise-cracking scoundrel who turns out to have a heart. Together, these three have become one of the most recognizable characters in the world. Of course, Darth Vader was the one that stuck out, with his fearsome armor and distinctive breathing. He has become such a household name that the American Film Institute named him the third greatest movie villain in cinema history. The special effects at the time were unlike anything anyone had seen before. However, Lucas was never really happy with them and over time, several alterations were made. The first came in 1997 when the film was re-released into theaters for its twentieth anniversary. There’s a new sweeping shot of Mos Eisley, Han meeting Jabba the Hutt at Docking Bay 94 and an added scene showing the Rebel Alliance’s X-Wing and Y-Wings approaching the Death Star. The most controversial change was the cantina scene where Han encounters the Rodian Greedo and shoots him. In the Special Edition, Greedo shoots first but misses and Han fires back with his blaster, killing him. This caused a great uproar with fans but to be honest, the outcome is still the same so I never got what the big deal was. For the 2004 DVD release, more changes were done, including a greatly improved CG version of Jabba (the original looked like he was made out of putty) and the cantina scene redone (again!) so that both Han and Greedo shoot at the same time. While I applaud the restoration work, there are still some annoyances, Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 68
Movie Review
mostly pertaining to color errors of the lightsabers (Luke’s sometimes show as green and Darth Vader’s look pinkish rather than full red). Sometimes you can see the frame differences when lightsabers ignite and when they turn on, it just pops into thin air rather than extending from the hilt. Despite these changes, many great action scenes remain such as the explosive opening between the Tantive IV and the Star Destroyer Devastator, Luke and his friends blasting away at numerous Stormtroopers, the more refined lightsaber duel between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan and finally, the epic space battle at Yavin 4 to destroy the Death Star. All of this is accompanied by John Williams’ now-iconic score. “Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope” was released on May 25, 1977, 33 years ago. As of now, including the grosses from re-releases, the film has earned $461 million domestic and $775 million worldwide. Not bad for a film that was expected to fail at the box office and had almost no support from 20th Century Fox! Reception has remained overwhelmingly positive with 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. At the 1978 Academy Awards, “Star Wars” won for Best Visuals, Sound, Music, Film Editing, Costume Design and Art Direction.
69 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
There were additional nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Alec Guinness, Best Director and Screenplay for Lucas, and Best Picture. Whether you like the changes or not, there’s no denying the impact that “Star Wars” had on movie-making. Unfortunately, directors today have taken to simply bombarding audiences with visual effects while paying little attention to actually telling a story. With perfect pacing, a simple yet effective story, relatable characters, and excellent action scenes, the original “Star Wars” will always remain as one of my favorite films that I can watch again and again. George Lucas has created a science fiction masterpiece that ‘will endure long after its creators are gone’ ( James Berardinelli, ReelViews) and nothing will ever come close to matching its greatness (with the exception of its sequel). Final Rating:
5 out of 5
Movies & Music
Movie Review
Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back Rated: PG (Sci-Fi Action Violence) Running Time: 2 Hours & 7 Minutes Cast: Mark Hamill-Luke Skywalker Carrie Fisher-Princess Leia Organa Harrison Ford-Han Solo Billy Dee Williams-Lando Calrissian Peter Mayhew-Chewbacca James Earl Jones (voice)-Darth Vader Frank Oz (voice)-Yoda Anthony Daniels-C-3PO Kenny Baker-R2-D2 Kenneth Colley-Admiral Firmus Piett Julian Glover-General Maximilian Veers Alec Guinness-Obi-Wan Kenobi Temuera Morrison (voice)-Boba Fett Ian McDiarmid-Emperor Palpatine Bruce Boa-General Carlist Rieekan Denis Lawson-Wedge Antilles/Rogue Two Directed by: Irvin Kershner
REVIEW BY SPIDERMAN120988 DESIGN BY LORA
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 70
Movie Review
H
ollywood loves to make sequels of successful films in the hopes of earning more money. Unfortunately, directors nowadays lose sight of what made the original successful and end up delivering an inferior follow-up. Perfect examples include the recent “Sex and the City 2” and last year’s “Transformers Revenge of the Fallen” but there are exceptions such as “The Dark Knight.” After the unprecedented success of the original “Star Wars” in 1977, a sequel was all but guaranteed and Lucas immediately set to work on writing “Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.” Curiously, he decided to not direct the film and instead focus more on overseeing the visual effects through his startup company Industrial Light & Magic but maintained complete creative control. Irvin Kershner was personally asked by Lucas to direct and although he was initially hesitant that he would do as good a job as Lucas, his agent changed his mind. “The Empire Strikes Back” is one of the darkest entries of the saga and does what Hollywood still struggles with today: delivers a sequel that raises the stakes and improves upon the original in every way, no small feat considering how well-received its predecessor was. The characters are more developed, the actors are more confident, the action is more intense, and the film ends with an epic lightsaber duel and an ending that has come to define the saga!
71 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Three years after the destruction of the Death Star on Yavin 4, the fledgling Rebel Alliance is forced to relocate to a new base on the ice planet of Hoth. The Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader (voice of James Earl Jones), is obsessed with finding Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who delivered the shot that destroyed the Death Star. Using his fleet of Star Destroyers, he deploys thousands of probe droids across the galaxy to search for
“No, I am your father!” the rebels and crush their insurrection. Back on Hoth, Luke sees one of the probes crash to the surface and goes to investigate on his tauntaun but a wampa ice creature suddenly attacks him, knocking him unconscious. The creature drags Luke to his cave as his next meal. At Echo Base, Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) becomes concerned when Luke hasn’t returned and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) decides to go look for him despite the temperature dropping to dangerous levels. Luke manages to escape from the wampa by slicing off its arm with his lightsaber but succumbs to the extreme cold. He sees the spirit of his friend and Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness), who urges him to go to the Dagobah system and complete his training with Yoda. As the spirit fades away, Han suddenly arrives but since there’s no way to get back to base (his tauntaun froze to death), he sets up shelter for the night. The next morning, Rebel snow speeders rescue them. Han and Leia’s relief that Luke is all right is shortlived, as an Imperial probe droid discovers and transmits Echo Base’s location to Darth Vader. As his fleet comes out of hyperspace, Vader prepares for a ground assault, sending an army of AT-AT’s to attack the base. The rebels try to hold them off with snow speeders as all personnel begin to evacuate but it soon becomes clear that they are fighting a losing
battle and are forced to retreat. Han takes Leia aboard the Millennium Falcon and departs from Hoth. With Echo Base lost, Luke and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) set a course for Dagobah in his personal X-Wing to look for Yoda. Meanwhile, the Falcon is unable to escape the Empire’s fleet of Star Destroyers due to a broken hyperdrive, forcing him to take refuge in an asteroid field. Luke successfully arrives on Dagobah and meets Yoda (voice of Frank Oz), and is shocked by the Jedi Master’s diminutive stature. At first, he refuses to train Luke because he lacks patience but Obi-Wan’s spirit convinces him otherwise. Back in the asteroid field, the Falcon finds itself inside the mouth of a space slug but they manage to escape and evade the Imperial fleet thanks to Solo’s quick thinking. He decides to set a course for Bespin, where his old friend, Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), is the administrator of Cloud City. Unknown to Han, Vader has hired a group of bounty hunters to
capture him, which includes the famous Boba Fett (voice of Temuera Morrison). As Luke continues his training with Yoda, he sees a vision of the future where his friends are in pain. Overcome by this premonition, he decides to abandon his training and rescue them despite the insistence of Yoda that he is not ready to face Darth Vader. At Cloud City, Lando agrees to help fix the Falcon’s hyperdrive but Movies & Music
away from these thoughts and concentrate on what he is doing right now, not what will happen in the future. Watching the episodes in order, it’s easy to see how similar he and Anakin are as Luke displays the same concern over the ones he cares about and would drop everything to help them even if it meant putting the galaxy in danger. However, he differs from Anakin when he is tempted by the dark side because he refuses its power, thanks to the constant warnings of Obi-Wan and Yoda. He knows that in the long run, it will consume him like Darth Vader. There is a foreshadowing of why Vader is obsessed with Luke when he goes into a cave that is corrupted with the dark side. There, Luke encounters an illusion of Vader and he beheads him with his lightsaber. The helmet explodes and reveals Luke’s face underneath. It is a warning to
Movie Review
he is forced to turn over Han, Leia and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) to Darth Vader to prevent the Empire from taking over the city. As Luke arrives at Cloud City, he must face the Dark Lord and learn a shocking revelation. The original “Star Wars” was a masterpiece but “The Empire Strikes Back” is an even better one and exceeds all the expectations you would hope for in a sequel and more. One thing that Lucas does right is further developing the characters instead of re-hashing their conflicts from the original. Luke has been with the Rebellion for some time and has come a long way since we met him as a simple farm boy. However, he still displays an idealistic sense of adventure, a trait that is a detriment to a Jedi-in-training. Yoda explains that this leads to recklessness and in order to successfully become a Jedi, he has to break
Luke’s future if he turns to the dark side but is also a clue to his parentage. Like “Attack of the Clones,” there is a romance subplot and you can see the sparks fly between Han and Leia. This is why the original trilogy is better because the character interactions often feel more natural and produce some great laughs while the prequel trilogy suffers from stiff dialogue, though this can also be attributed to the actors and actresses’ lifeless delivery of their lines. All the subplots finally come together in the end at the defining moment of the film (and of the saga) comes during the epic lightsaber duel between Luke and Vader. The truth about their relationship was kept very secret and no one knew what would happen until the film’s actual premiere. Only Lucas, Kershner, Hamill, and Jones knew beforehand. Though it came as a stunning shock when audiences originally watched the film in 1980, subsequent re-releases and alterations have lessened its impact but Vader’s famous line still packs an emotional punch whenever I view the film. “The Empire Strikes Back” stands as the saga’s best because there is now a palpable sense of danger and our heroes are facing hardships to which they can’t seem to surmount. The actors feel more relaxed as they have now settled into their roles. Mark Hamill plays a more mature Luke but is still prone to fits of frustration due to his impatience. Carrie Fisher is still feisty as ever as she bickers with Han and Harrison Ford is still as cocky as ever, pushing the Princess’ buttons for his enjoyment. However, beneath his bad-boy façade, there’s also a romantic side to him. Frank Oz lends his voice to Yoda, who will go on to become one of the most iconic characters in the saga. Billy Dee Williams is Lando Calrissian, who faces his own personal crisis.
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 72
Movie Review
The special effects were a major improvement from the original “Star Wars” as we are treated to an epic battle between the Empire’s lumbering AT-AT’s and the Rebellion’s nimble snow speeders. The action continues with the Millennium Falcon evading Vader’s fleet of Star Destroyers and TIE fighters. Finally, audiences got to see for the first time what a real lightsaber duel was like as Luke and Vader clashes blades in the bowels of Cloud City. Although it lacks the dynamic acrobatics of the prequels, the duel still stands as one of the saga’s best. “The Empire Strikes Back” was re-released in 1997 as a Special Edition but the changes were minor compared to “A New Hope.” The only significant addition is a new arrival shot over Cloud City. When the film was released for DVD in 2004, another change was added and this was a new scene with Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine conversing with Darth Vader. The original scene had Palpatine portrayed by an unknown actress with chimp eyes superimposed and voiced by Clive Revill. Some new dialogue was added as well to connect the original trilogy with the prequels. Boba Fett’s lines were also redubbed by Temuera Morrison since he is a clone of Jango Fett. Once again, the restoration work resulted in some color errors with lightsabers, such as Vader’s looking pinkish or bright orange at times. The music from John Williams is also more memorable thanks to Vader’s leitmotif, “The Imperial March.”
numerous re-releases, the film grossed $290 million domestic and $538 million worldwide. It was nominated for four categories at the 1981 Academy Awards but won only two for Sound and Special Achievement in Visual Effects. Today, many view the film as a perfect example of what a sequel should be but Hollywood is more obsessed with squeezing every penny rather than telling a meaningful story. The original “Star Wars” was a hard act to follow but Lucas had done the impossible, creating ‘one of the finest and most rousing science fiction tales ever committed to the screen’ ( James Berardinelli, ReelViews). No other “Star Wars” film has ever come close (“Revenge of the Sith” almost did) and the film stands as a crowning achievement in storytelling and special effects, a perfect sequel that Hollywood has sadly lost sight of in today’s world. Final Rating:
5 out of 5
Released on May 21, 1980, “Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back” initially received mixed reviews but over time, it came to be viewed as the best of the saga, with a whopping 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Including its
73 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Movies & Music
Movie Review
Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi Rated: PG (Sci-Fi Action Violence) Running Time: 2 Hours & 15 Minutes Cast: Mark Hamill - Luke Skywalker Carrie Fisher - Princess Leia Organa Harrison Ford - Han Solo Billy Dee Williams - Lando Calrissian Peter Mayhew - Chewbacca James Earl Jones (voice) - Darth Vader Ian McDiarmid-Emperor Palpatine Frank Oz (voice) - Yoda Anthony Daniels - C-3PO Kenny Baker - R2-D2 Warwick Davis - Wicket W. Warrick Tim Rose - Admiral Ackbar Kenneth Colley - Admiral Firmus Piett Alec Guinness - Obi-Wan Kenobi Denis Lawson - Wedge Antilles/Red Leader Hayden Christensen - Anakin Skywalker Directed by: Richard Marquand
REVIEW BY SPIDERMAN120988 DESIGN BY LORA
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 74
G Movie Review
eorge Lucas completes his epic space opera in 1983 with “Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi,” though he wasn’t finished with the story yet as evidenced by the prequels. Like “The Empire Strikes Back,” Lucas decided not to helm the film and since he was unable to hire his good friend Steven Spielberg after leaving the Director’s Guild of America, he settled for Welsh director Richard Marquand. Episode V was a hard act to follow and as expected, Lucas wasn’t up to the task. This is by no means an indication that the film is terrible, in fact it is an excellent and dramatically satisfying conclusion to a franchise that have touched the hearts and minds of many and changed American cinema forever. The main problem of “Return of the Jedi” is the cutesy factor, which is somewhat jarring considering the serious nature of the film. Still, all the plotlines have been resolved and Lucas once again ups the ante in special effects, providing one of the most epic space battles to ever grace the silver screen.
“Never. I’ll never turn to the dark side. You’ve failed, Your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me.” One year after the events of “The Empire Strikes Back,” Han Solo (Harrison Ford), frozen in carbonite, is taken by the fearsome bounty hunter Boba Fett to Jabba the Hutt’s palace on Tatooine. Unwilling to let his friend spend the rest of life as a decoration on a wall, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), now a fully trained Jedi Knight, devises a daring rescue plan along with Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams), and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). Leia, disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh, gains entrance to Jabba’s palace with Chewbacca pretending to be her prisoner. When everyone has fallen asleep that night, Leia frees Han from the carbonite but Jabba wakes up and captures them both. Luke arrives the next 75 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
day to persuade Jabba to let his friends go or suffer dire consequences. The Hutt refuses to bargain and pressing a button, Luke falls to an underground chamber which is home to a vicious Rancor. Fortunately, Luke lures the beast under the gate of its cage and throws a rock at the button, activating the gate and crushing it. Furious at this turn of events, Jabba decrees that Luke, Han and Chewbacca be tossed into the Great Pit of Carkoon, which is home to a man-eating Sarlacc. Traveling through the Dune Sea on Jabba’s Sail Barge, Luke is forced to walk the plank but not before giving a salute to R2-D2 (Kenny Baker). He suddenly leaps into the air and grabs his newly-constructed lightsaber, throwing everything in chaos. Leia strangles Jabba to death and the rescue attempt is successful. With his friend back, Luke returns to Dagobah to see Jedi Master Yoda (Frank Oz), while Han and Leia meet up with the rest of the Rebel Alliance fleet on Sullust. On Dagobah, Yoda confirms that Darth Vader (voice of James Earl Jones) is his father. With his dying breath, he reminds Luke to remember what he has learned and pass it on to future Jedi. He also reveals that there is another Skywalker but finally succumbs to old age and becomes one with the Force. Meanwhile, the Galactic Empire has built a new, more powerful Death Star in orbit over the forest moon of Endor. Vader and Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) arrive via Imperial Shuttle to oversee the final stages of its construction so that they can crush the Rebel Alliance once and for all and turn Luke toward the dark side of the Force. However, the Rebels manage to obtain the schematics of this new Death Star thanks to Bothan spies. Since the battle station is protected by a deflector shield on the surface, Han will lead a strike team to disable it while Lando and Admiral Ackbar (Tim Rose) will lead the main fleet and try to destroy the Death Star by blowing up its main reactor. Luke and Leia accompany Han to destroy the shield generator but run into trouble when they are captured by the planet’s furry natives, called Ewoks. They soon manage to gain their trust thanks to C-3PO, whom the Ewoks believe is a god. Movies & Music
Movies & Music
Movie Review
As Han prepares to destroy the deflector shield and the Rebel fleet arrives to destroy the new Death Star, Luke confronts his father, Darth Vader, one final time in a desperate attempt to save him from the dark side. He must also contend with the powerful Emperor and destroy him in order to free the galaxy from his iron grip. Most of the time, the third part in a series ends up being the weakest and this holds true here but I feel “Return of the Jedi” is an underrated film. It was not as terrible as some fans made it out to be and certainly not as bad as the crap we get from Hollywood nowadays. For a brief time, the film used the subtitle “Revenge of the Jedi” as co-writer Lawrence Kasdan felt the original was too weak. However, since Jedi do not take revenge, it was reverted back to “Return of the Jedi” a few weeks before its release. With this final film, Lucas neatly wraps up all the plotlines from both the prequel and original trilogies; Darth Vader finally turns from the dark side and fulfills the prophecy of bringing balance to the Force by destroying the Sith. Whether you like it or not, the prequels have changed the way we analyze the original trilogy because the entire saga revolves around Anakin Skywalker, not Luke. The moment that Vader becomes Anakin once more is reminiscent of his fall in “Revenge of the Sith.” As he watches his son in agony while Palpatine unleashes a torrent of Sith Lightning, he is again faced with a choice. Anakin fell to the dark side because he was unable to accept the fact that his loved ones will eventually die and Palpatine exploited this. Yet this time, he can save his son and in
the end, he made the right choice. However, some of the emotional depth of this moment is taken away by the inclusion of Ewoks. They are pretty much walking teddy bears wielding Stone Age technology. The problem arises when Palpatine says that he sent his ‘best troops’ to stop Han from destroying the deflector shield. How is it even possible that they were able to defeat the legion of Stormtroopers and AT-STs roaming about using nothing but rocks and spears? You could argue that it was perseverance and that the Ewoks had greater numbers but the ground battle on Endor is a little hard to swallow, even by “Star Wars” standards. Originally, Lucas intended to use the Wookies but since they were already technology adept, he created a less advanced race to defeat the Empire. Looking at it pragmatically, the Ewoks were not as annoying as Jar Jar and they ended up being an endearing
lot. Another bone of contention is the revelation that Leia is Luke’s twin sister. Some critics felt that Lucas was ‘making it up as he goes along’ and that Leia was not originally intended to have any familial ties to Luke. Others called it a cheap cop-out of the love triangle between Han, Luke, and Leia. Personally, I don’t have an issue with this but it does make the romantic tension in the previous films look incestuous. Once again Lucas lets his imagination run wild with a huge assortment of aliens on-screen in Jabba’s Palace from the dim-witted Gamorrean guards to Sy Snootles’ and the Max Rebo Band. Many of them only appeared for a split-second and part of the joy of watching “Star Wars” for me is trying to identify as many as I can. Despite its drawbacks, the issues with “Return of the Jedi” are minor compared to Episodes I and II and it remains an amazing film that succeeds
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 76
Movie Review
in the uneasy task of providing closure to one of the most celebrated science fiction franchises of the past three decades. The acting is the strongest with Mark Hamill as a more mature, confident Luke Skywalker. The Luke we knew from Episodes IV and V would not have devised the daring rescue plan for Han Solo, showing how far he has grown. Carrie Fisher plays a more serious-minded Leia but what most people remember is the skimpy slave girl outfit she wore. She briefly became a sex symbol and was immortalized by many male and female nerds, her costume becoming a popular fixture in comic book conventions. Harrison Ford is still cocky and over-confident as Han Solo but he’s now fully committed to the Rebel cause instead of looking out for himself as he did originally. Emperor Palpatine makes his first appearance, played by Ian McDiarmid. With the appearance of a frail old man, he initially does not seem like much of a threat until he unleashes the full extent of his dark side powers at Luke in the final minutes of the film. Since this is the last film, Lucas brought out all the stops to create as epic an ending as he could and the space battle over Endor is a visual treat. Rebel cruisers face off with Imperial Star Destroyers while X-Wings trade laser blasts with an endless supply of TIE Fighters. Han’s rescue
77 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
is also impressive as Luke makes short work of Jabba’s guards but the final duel between father and son isn’t very memorable, granted, he didn’t want to fight and acted in self-defense. As in the other films
in the original trilogy, changes were introduced in the 1997 re-release and 2004 DVD edition. Major additions include the dance number in Jabba’s Palace with a CG Sy Snootles and Joh Yowza, and the ending, where scenes of celebration on Cloud City, Mos Eisley and Coruscant are shown following the destruction of the second Death Star. For the DVD ver-
Movies & Music
Movie Review
sion, a scene of celebration on Naboo was inserted and the Galactic Senate and Jedi Temple were added in the background on Coruscant. The final scenes of the film were also changed with Hayden Christensen replacing Sebastian Shaw as Anakin Skywalker. This proved controversial with some fans but Lucas’ explained that after Anakin redeemed himself, he returned to his persona before he turned to the dark side when he became one with the Force. Again, the restoration work had color errors with Vader’s lightsaber, which appears pink in some scenes. “Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi” was released on May 25, 1983 to positive reviews but critics agreed that it was the weakest film of the trilogy. The film currently holds 77% on Rotten Tomatoes and at the 1984 Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Art Direction, Sound and Sound Editing, and Music but only won Special Achievement in Visual Effects. Counting all releases, “Return of the Jedi” grossed $309 million domestic and $475 million worldwide. There really is nothing more to say about the “Star Wars” saga as everything that needed to be said has already been said but with this film and the prequels, George Lucas has finally completed the story he set out to tell that has taken up the better part of 28 years to finish. There have been ups and downs but “Star Wars” will remain as popular as ever, a crowning achievement in science fiction storytelling that we will never see again. George Lucas, I salute you! Final Rating:
4.5 out of 5
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 78
Redefining Hau5 Music Before you start reading this, load up YouTube, search for “deadmau5strobe” and listen. It’ll make this so much better. Now, read on.
P
eople these days refuse to be individuals when it comes to music, which is perhaps why dance continues to be considered a less important genre. It’s believed that whatever’s on top of the national chart is the bee’s knees of current styles and everything else must be rejected. Now, don’t get me wrong, I used to enjoy chart music. I noticed, however, that every single song follows exactly the same pattern: lyrics about love along with a catchy, yet unbelievably basic tune. So, I stopped listening to it and when I was 12, to quote a deadmau5 music video, I began to ‘reject the mainstream’. I bought “Drum and Bass Arena” and never looked back. What many fail to realize is that even though dance has very few followers, it has many sub-genres within it. Everything from happy hardcore to fidget house, and hardstyle falls into the same category. One of these styles is called progressive house. Imagine a long, drawn out style of electro, with chilling melodies and smooth basslines. Progressive house was a hidden wonder until 2007, when a bloke called Joel Zimmerman (AKA deadmau5) began to take the world by storm.
Zimmerman likes to think of himself as a producer rather than a DJ, but it is undoubtedly his performance skills that have gotten him to where he is today. DJ’s like Tiesto and Yoji can captivate an audience with a variety of good tunes and a light show, but Deadmau5 was the first to consider wearing a giant cartoon mouse’s head on stage- complete with flashing lights. He was the first DJ to use Ableton Live on a live DJ set, a piece of software with enough power to allow him to not only mix between tracks, but to edit them on the fly. One of the fantastic things about progressive house is its unbelievable ‘mixability’, shall we say. Each track is roughly 7 minutes in
Zimmerman’s name comes from his old, pre-musical genius days. One day, he found a dead mouse in his computer. He told a board he frequented (supposedly 4chan) about it and they began to call him ‘that dead mouse guy’. He spelled it “deadmau5” because he was only allowed 8 characters on his first promotional gig. He re-defined not only progressive house, but electro house, and many other different aspects of house music. Released in 2006, his first album, ‘Get Scraped,’ featured such a wide variety of songs, from the breaks type song ‘The Oshawa Connection’, to the pounding techno-trance ‘Intelstat’, that people began to recognize him. Unfortunately, to make it big in today’s music industry, you need help, and fortunately for Zimmerman, a pair of prominent producers delivered just that. Impressed by his work, Melleefresh and Kaskade, took part in collaborations with him. His first with Kaskade, “I Remember”, topped the US dance billboard, and peaked at #14 in the UK.
79 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Movies & Music
length, with long intros and outros, allowing a DJ to produce a freeflowing set that never seems to pause. Deadmau5’s skill and obvious talent have allowed him to perform sets of such high intensity that people keep coming back for more, as they have no idea what to expect. As an example, at the Hard Haunted House show in LA a couple of years ago, the set was started by a fake mouse- who wore the head, but deliberately played crap tunes. Then, the real Deadmau5 came on, complete with evil black mau5 head, and throttled the imposter before launching into the hard mix of Ghosts’N’Stuff (interestingly, this track was his first to chart highly with him as the sole producer, and is probably the reason he became so popular in the UK).
“Hell, I’d kill someone if it got me 10 million album sales” Joel Zimmerman
-that dead mouse guy
Unfortunately, the life of a so-called superstar DJ is not without problems. He had become so popular that he was performing in different clubs all around the world, from Ibiza to Japan, on a nightly basis, almost every day of the year. A nocturnal lifestyle, coupled with no sleep during the day is bound to have its complications, and at the start of 2010’s summer, he collapsed on stage. Doctors ruled he would have to miss over 8 future tour dates. There was one awful moment where his fans thought he may go back solely to production and let other DJ’s perform his tracks. His label, mau5trap, had become highly successful. Artists such as Michael Woods and Moguai, both prestigious newcomers to the scene, had released many songs through the label; prior to his collapse on stage, Zimmerman had only released 2 tracks himself that year. The worst bit about this lack of music was the fact that one of the songs, ‘I Said’, was only just above average in terms of what he is capable of (‘Some Chords’, however, I rate highly). All was not lost, however. At the end of August of this year, a new collaboration was played on Radio 1. Deadmau5 and Wolfgang Gartner released the track ‘Animal Rights’ together. Personally, I let out a sigh of relief at the fresh new sound with the epic bass line that Gartner always provides. Then, Zimmerman announced his UK tour for winter of the same year, and promised fans a new album in the near future. He seems to have unrelenting mounds of energy, and in every interview he is enthusiastic and good-natured. To conclude, Zimmerman was recently selected to perform at MTV’s VMA awards, which caused a bit of a stir as fans thought this was far too mainstream for a man with a mouse’s head. As far as I care, good on him. If this gets his music even more noticed, then surely it is a good thing for dance in general. I like that.
ARTICLE BY: DRUID101 DESIGN BY: LORA
Movies & Music
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 80
Developed by Bungie Studios - For Xbox 360
“Welcome to the past.” This is Bungie’s final swan song before they move to (hopefully) even greener pastures. Halo: Reach takes us back to the beginning of the Halo saga, during (what every Halo nerd should know) the Fall of Reach, arguably the biggest battle next to Halo 3’s Battle for Earth. This review is split into three sections: Presentation, Campaign, and Multiplayer.
PRESENTATION:
We’ve all seen Halo 3 at one point or another. In my opinion, the graphics were, while fitting, quite so-so. Halo: Reach kicks it up a few notches. Halo’s graphical engine has gotten a giant makeover, and new legs to stand on. The engine can handle many more objects at higher qualities due to a new system which allows objects far away to be drawn quite easily. This allows two things. Objects (say, weapons or vehicles) are incredibly more detailed than in Halo 3. It gives the human side the damaged and losing look of the whole war. Meanwhile, Covenant vehicles, structures, and weapons all look brand new and shiny. It’s a great layer of depth. The other part of detail is that this allows more AI-controlled units to be on screen at once. While a battle can be occurring right in front of you, you can look into the distance and see Banshee’s dog fighting with Falcon helicopters; yet another layer of depth that adds into the story and the feeling of a giant war. The level “New Alexandria” conveys this point immensely well, but I’ll leave that for you to see for yourself. The sound effects are pretty much the same as in Halo 3, give or take. Not saying this is bad or anything – it’s been fitting very well over all these years. The soundtrack is, for the most part, brand new (a specific Halo 2 tune can be heard- at some point during the game) and it’s still been incredibly well done, adding to the overall environment of Reach.
81 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Tech & Games
CAMPAIGN:
The one problem with Halo Reach’s campaign is the storyline. While it is appropriately told with some generally good acting, the major thing is, any Halo player on the planet knows how it’s going to end – Reach is toast, and all the Spartans are doomed to die. This means that if you really want to enjoy Reach’s campaign, you’ll need to focus on the battles in-between the cut scenes... and the good thing about Reach’s campaign is that it rocks.
Bungie definitely wasn’t going to make it easy for us to win this one simply because it’s their last Halo game. Halo Reach is the most difficult Halo game on the planet (the only one I’ve never finished on Legendary without a minor struggle). Enemies are nearly indestructible on Legendary; you’ll definitely need the help of other AI-controlled Spartans for this one (because they’re invincible), the Marines are good for nothing apart from taking three bullets and dying (reminds me too much of Call of Duty). All the Skulls are back in and unlocked right from the start as well, in case you’re completely insane.
The overhauls to the iconic Halo engine are incredibly evident. With the ability to display more enemies on screen, the huge battle going on, not only overhead but on the ground, creates the definite illusion that Reach is falling on top of you. Be warned though – in scenes of incredibly heavy action, the frame rate will probably drop for a moment or two, but that’s normal. Set pieces are the main draw of Reach’s campaign, and trust me, there are plenty of them. Without spoiling the story for you, the reader: Mongoose riding through hundreds of enemies; piloting a giant rail gun; engaging in space combat; jet packing between buildings…it’s all here, baby. The co-op is implemented marginally well – Bungie was touting that the difficulty would increase depending on how many players were in the campaign. It seems as if the increase depends on the difficulty selected (Legendary on two players increases more than Heroic on two players, for example). However, the redesigned open maps are all meant for four players and it definitely feels well used – the co-op campaign is as fun as ever. Bungie even hid a few Easter eggs in the game that require two or more players as well (kicking back in the Tribute Room or having a game of Reach Racer is always a blast). (I’m not giving a review on Campaign Matchmaking at this point, because it’s not in the game at the time of this review. But trust me, it will be there, and it will probably be awesome.) While I won’t worry about saying goodbye to this feature forever, for some, I am sure it will be missed: the
Tech & Games
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 82
Easy difficulty, in its current variation, is useless. It unlocks no commendations, no achievements, or anything remotely resembling progress except for unlocking levels. So take my advice; if you want to play Halo Reach, make sure you can aim a gun and fire before you try.
more fun time. Special modes exist, including defending generators, or taking control of Elites and leading the charge against Spartans. Your friends’ scores are put up in the top left corner for you to smirk at as you crush them…is this the icing on the cake? Matchmaking works for Firefight now as well. A new feature to Reach is the Arena – you play several games a day (usually three) and you get ranked in one of four divisions, basically giving you another piece of “I did this, I did this” to wave around. I don’t imagine many players giving this a go but it’s quite welcome for the ultra-competitive.
MULTIPLAYER:
The multiplayer element is definitely the bread and butter of the Reach experience. I haven’t mentioned this yet because of this section, but your Spartan is carried over across all game modes, including looks, and Credits. Credits are your basic currency and experience in Reach, and you spend Credits to unlock new pieces of armor, which you display in all modes (even Campaign cut scenes). Credits are earned across all modes (Campaign, Firefight, Matchmaking, Custom Games, and Forge). The sense of seamlessness is more than welcome. While players may level up to the current level cap, Bungie does have level cap increases coming for free. Hold tight, Spartans. All game modes contain special “commendations” – credit bonuses for performing certain tasks (think headshots or using heavy weapons to kill enemies), adding another layer of progression to the already large game. Periodic challenges such as four Daily and one Weekly – that allow you to try your hand with special objectives (everything from killing X amount of enemies in Matchmaking to beating a level with a Skull turned on) are also present. Challenges and Commendations are both great ways to keep players hooked.
The newest game-changers in Reach are the Armor Abilities – several repeat-use items like locking your armor to stop damage in its tracks, sprinting, going invisible, rolling, even jetpacks. Whee. Armor Abilities add an extra layer of strategy – hide ‘n wait for an enemy while invisible and strike, run from danger, or lock down in front of an enemy Warthog and blow them apart with your steel shoulders. Since dual-wielding is removed in Reach due to the time period being before Halo 1, let alone 2 or 3, all the weapons that used to be toted in twos have been given extra power, and the result is generally pleasant. Another balance change is it now takes 2 melees, one to break a shield and one to kill, which adds yet another layer of strategy. All these new things are well thought out.
Loadouts are new in Reach – this allows you to spawn with several different combinations of weapons (and armor abilities), with the most diverse selection being in Firefight. However, the default game types work well with the loadouts selected by Bungie, and loadouts can be modified right down to the name in Custom Games (unfortunately, names can only be picked from a select few dozen). Matchmaking has had a few minor, yet welcome, overhauls. You can set several parameters for searching for games (want to be rowdy/ quiet, teams/lone wolves, etc) – this has worked great so far in my experience. I’ve been getting exactly what I’ve bargained for, and nobody seems to have abused this system…yet.
Firefight returns in a blaze of glory – while it was generally rigid, difficult and inflexible in Halo 3: ODST, in Reach, it allows heavy customization. Custom Games style (including each individual enemy spawning in any Wave, Round or Set, custom Skulls, almost anything), and the base game is much easier to grasp, making the whole game a much 83 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Another welcome change is the ‘Press to switch to another map’ button in Halo 3 – Reach now gives three map/game type combinations to pick from, including a ‘None of the above’ button to select three new maps. Everybody tends to pick the same type of map though, but don’t worry, democracy is at work here.
Tech & Games
The base game comes packed with nine maps (or, if you count Forge World’s five maps or areas, 14, which I’ll talk about later). While this is good, and the maps won’t feel too old very soon, the small amount of places to shoot up leaves me wanting more. I can wait, though. The maps are well detailed and generally well balanced; however, be sure to get to the shotguns and energy swords first. Browsing for screenshots, videos, maps or variants has never been easier. An in game menu, allows you to search for specific files or game types, or you can check what’s been the most recommended or downloaded over the past seven days. You can also filter these results worldwide or limit them to your friends. You’ll always have something new to go look at.
Custom Games are alive and kicking as well – there’s already plenty of good maps (some Halo 3 remakes are almost pixel-perfect) and some pretty silly ones (Super Toilet, I’m looking at you). But, since Halo Reach has only been out for a week (at the time of this review), let people get the Matchmaking rush out of their system, and the variant number will soar – Reach will be up and over Halo 3 in a number of weeks, not months. Finally, the Forge – with the new Forge World map, the canvas for maps is huge – a tall rock, an island, Blood Gulch, an indoor hangar, or just freeze objects in the sky, you have PLENTY of room to make levels. Don’t worry; the other levels are Forge-able (although with Forge World, you’d almost wonder why people would want to). Thanks to the engine’s general overhaul, the maps can be much larger in Forge as well, with several hundred objects onscreen at once. Forge has been given a lot of extra abilities too – you can have zones where people are killed or warned to return to battle, camera placing for loadouts, floating objects (or objects phased or passing through other objects), one-way doors…the possible amount of maps has been increased from millions to billions.
Active Roster is a MUCH welcomed feature – you have the option of looking at all your Reach-playing friends, check their service records and even queue up to join them in-game when they finish their current game. It works quite well and probably will still work well in the future. Why doesn’t Call of Duty have this already?
Score Presentation
Campaign
Multiplayer
Theater returns, recording all your games for you, but unfortunately, it only supports one player at a time. But, quoting Bungie: “To make Theater work with more than one player would have costed many hideous man-hours of work and sacrifice.” Unfortunately, Custom Games cannot be match-made or looked for – you’ll need friends or be willing to play a few matchmaking games first. I think we’ll manage though, we have before just fine.
OVERVIEW:
Reach is the best game in the Halo series, period. Giant battle after giant battle, co-op campaign, the heavily improved Firefight, Custom Games and Forge; these all add up into a great game. My scores are below.
Pros + Looks fantastic + A great improvement over Halo 3 + Plenty of huge battles + Bungie-grade storytelling + Easter Eggs galore + Just the way you remember + Plenty of new additions and changes + Refined areas make a much happier experience
Cons - Sometimes the frame rate drops - Difficulty spikes occasionally, especially on higher difficulties - Custom Games doesn’t support matchmaking - Theater only supports one player
Final Rating:
Tech & Games
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 84
TIPS & TRICKS
Campaign Game Tips: • To get through Legendary, take a Gears of War shape of thought into it – cover, heal, shoot, rinse and repeat. • Always keep a pistol, DMR or needle rifle on you when possible, except when facing Hunters; take shotguns instead. Firefight Game Tip: • On most levels, there’s an ammo box near a spawn – always stock up before you fight! Multiplayer Game Tips: • Always aim for your daily challenges, the extra credits definitely helps you to level up faster. • If you can deal with low sensitivity, put your sensitivity down to 1 in the options menu. It drastically improves aim.
WRITTEN BY: BLUEMAXIMA DESIGNED BY: LORA
85 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Tech & Games
Minecraft (Alpha)
Developed by ‘Notch’ For the PC (Windows <reviewed>/Mac OS/Linux)
Author:BlueMaxima
Rolling mountains, deep caverns, giant construction projects, hiss…AND THOSE ****ING CREEPERS! What’s not to like? Minecraft is a currently in-alpha game created by one man, Notch (who I will call God for the rest of this review because it will fit). God created the world of Minecraft over the past year or so by himself, more or less. It’s what is in God’s world that makes it great. God plops you into a randomly generated, blocky landscape approximately 64 blocks upwards and downwards, filled with caverns, minerals, and animals. You chop down trees (with your hands, no less) to make planks, which make a workbench, and you make simple tools to make a shelter to survive the night. But, it’s when the sun goes down that God decides he hates you. Monsters spawn and lots of them. Zombies, spiders, archer skeletons, and …Creepers, which sneak up on you, no noise involved and goes BOOM- killing. Those monsters have the rarest items for the rarest crafts though. What makes God’s work so addicting, in comparison to other or even remotely similar games, is that the exploration and mining for new things is always exciting. Digging down low and finding Redstone for complex machinery, or finding clay and building a brick house is always extremely fun. The look of the game and the not constant, but extremely well timed music definitely add to God’s atmosphere.
Section
The only problem with the game is: God isn’t finished. There’s a buggy, laggy multiplayer which doesn’t have monsters yet; many objects in game can’t be crafted into anything and the two current modes (Creative, which is just build anything and the mode I reviewed here, Survival (also known as Alpha) just aren’t much to work with. But, God has been hard at work for a year and I imagine it will go on for a long time. Minecraft has so much (pardon the pun) untapped potential; who knows what God will come up with next. All he needs is a little time. Seven days is never enough. ;) +Looks strangely good and music fits well +Addictive gameplay +Lots of stuff to see and do +Enormous community on the rise -Not more than two modes -Quite buggy -Still under development Score: 4 out of 5 (and more than likely rising with each passing day) Game Tip: Find all sorts of helpful information about Minecraft at- http://www.minecraftwiki.net
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 86
S
nake is back on the PSP! …I’m sorry; did I just hear the collective groans of PSP fanboys with sore thumbs? It’s OK; I suffered through Portable Ops as well. Snake’s second adventure to the portable handheld fixes all the problems with PO (or, as I call it, POO) and creates all but the name of MGS5 on the PlayStation Portable. There’s a lot to like about the latest installment of MGS. Peace Walker is about Big Boss and his group of mercenaries hunting down and defeating giant singing robots. While there is a lot more story to that, which I didn’t pay much attention to, it is actually quite easy to follow and doesn’t require much background information about MGS itself. The comic book style cut scenes are still around as well, and they’re still great, with some even being interactive. The game controls, like Metal Gear Solid 4 on the PSP (at least, with the Shooter Type, which I recommend), move with Analog,
ADS with L, fire with R, and aim with the /\/O/X/[] buttons. It works incredibly well in making the game playable. They even left the original PO type and a third, Monster Hunter inspired type in as well. Now, I know a lot of you are asking yourselves, how does the game look on PSP? Look to the right for some screenshots. 87 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Yes, that’s what the game looks like. The environments are incredibly detailed, the character models are top quality, and the weather effects are all spectacular for a PSP game. Peace Walker would probably look worse on a PlayStation 2. Meanwhile, the soundtrack and sound effects are similar to the tracks of other MGS games – not spectacular, but well thought out nonetheless.
series of missions having completely different tactics thanks to the dual Snakes. In one mission, a friend managed to keep the front of a fortress busy while I snuck around the back and took them out one by one. There was one problem with this, but I’ll get to that later.
However, it’s not the graphics or controls that make the game so much fun, it’s the amount of gameplay value there is. On one side, you have the story, which could take a normal player up to15 hours to complete. Then, there’s 120 “extra ops missions” which are reminiscent of the
The boss battles were generally unremarkable. A lot of the bosses were just general vehicles (approx. 40 missions in the Extra ops are vehicles) with the rest being giant, singing robots. The giant robots are the main draw though – the only way to build your own Metal Gear and progress the storyline near the end (I’m not going to tell you what happens, that would be cheeky of me) is to beat them and steal their AI cores for your Metal Gear.
“But, this is truly Metal Gear Solid 5. The gameplay is Metal Gear. The story is Metal Gear. The look is Metal Gear” old VR Missions from Metal Gear Solid, which can easily put your playtime up to 70+ hours. Then you have the base-building mechanic. Yes, I just said “base-building mechanic”. It’s simplified from Portable Ops (you’re only taking out one solider at a time and you can recover enemies without dragging them for twenty minutes), and it’s all the better for it. Your troops are spread over several teams – combat, R&D, intel, medical, etc. and all these teams basically affect your abilities to research the 200-plus items, including different weapons and items; even things like concealment guns or box tanks for two players. While I’m on the subject, I might as well discuss the co-op. Two players can tackle missions, and up to four can attack bosses head on. The game plays incredibly well, with a
This brings me to one of my main problems with Peace Walker. While the game is incredibly fun, it can also be exly infuriating with how the solo missions can is a simple way to grind…and grind... But this takes a you have to repeat over and over again
tremedifficult be. There solve this: and grind. while and old missions while you reTech & Games
Text by BlueMaxima Design by dingo_d
search the next level of your rocket launcher – it’s generally an inconvenience. Another easy way to solve this problem would be to invite a co-op buddy and tackle a boss together, right? Wrong; the second major problem is with the co-op and Wi-Fi based features. Peace Walker’s co-op works on Hoster and Guests through an almost sever-like structure, and there is an option to recr uit troops f r o m the several Wi-Fi networks placed anywhere. These two systems would work absolutely great in Japan. One person could host a game of Peace Walker and another person could link up from across the street, or someone could be walking and recruiting five troops every minute or so. In places like Australia, this opportunity is extremely limited, with very few wireless networks available and the lack of PSP players compared to Japan makes it incredibly unlikely to stumble across another player, even in the middle of Sydney or Canberra. If you plan to run through Peace Walker, the general consensus is to bring a friend along. There’s a lot I haven’t mentioned in this review – the Outer Ops, which involves capturing boss vehicles and sending them with troops for battles, or the hours of audio tapes filling in parts of the story of Metal Gear that have never Tech & Games
been heard before. But, this is truly Metal Gear Solid 5. The gameplay is
Metal Gear. The story is Metal Gear. The look is Metal Gear. It even holds that bit of charm that we’ve all loved since we first set our eager hands on the first MG. A must own for PSP, if you can get a friend to join you! Game Tips: Use rocket launchers to fight bosses, there’s nothing else that puts dents in them fast enough to save your butt. During missions always be on the lookout for secret documents and prisoners of war; every last shred counts. Vehicular bosses can be caught silently – use tranquilizer guns to take out the troops, then use the cover of smoke grenades to retrieve them, or let the boss run over them, unless the boss is a chopper.
Developer: Kojima Productions Publisher: Konami Designer: Hideo Kojima (producer,director) Artist: Yoji Shinkawa Writer: Hideo Kojima Series: Metal Gear Platform: PlayStation Portable Genre: Stealth, action-adventure Mode: Single-player, multiplayer (cooperative) Pros: +Looks fantastic on the small screen +Hundreds of missions and unlockables +Great control system +Tuning your base for maximum performance becomes an obsession Cons: - Difficulty curve is downright insane - Wireless features designed for Japan don’t work very well over here Final Rating:
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 88
FOR THE NINTENDO DS - DEVELOPED BY 5TH CELL
I
n my opinion, the original Scribblenauts was a creative and ambitious game, but it had flaws- too many to ignore. Super Scribblenauts had the opportunity to fix these, but did it? Scribblenauts involves catching Starites through a series of puzzles; to solve the puzzles you create objects. With Super Scribblenauts, it’s not just some objects, it is any object you can think up! Would you like to make a car, a plane, Cthulu, or even a nuclear missile? In Scribblenauts, you can spawn them. Super Scribblenauts, an emphasis on the Super, allows you to add adjectives, anything from colors to properties of an object, you can attach up to seven at a time. You want a red rocketpowered flying scaly nuclear missile? It’s all here. One of the major problems with the nonSuper Scribblenauts was the controls. One wrong tap when trying pick up an object, and you would end up running like a madman to your doom. The D-Pad and the A/B/X/Y buttons can serve as controls so it makes you wonder. “Why keep touch-screen controls around?” The puzzles are generally creative with some typical puzzles such as- what does this character want, or you need to give certain characters specific things, and so on. Some adjective levels ask you to create objects with specific properties- for example; the first puzzle like this requires different colored keys. The action puzzles are only found in a couple of the harder than normal to unlock levels, and the game is all the better for it. Most levels have the complete’ the level 3 times with all unique 89 \ theSCENE \ WAREZ-BB.ORG
Tech & Games
+ Adjectives add another level to the puzzle + Enough new content to keep fans happy + Still one of the best rack-your-brains out there + All the niggles of the first game are fixed Score:
5 out of 5
Review by BlueMaxima Design by Lora GAME TIP: The super secret adjective is ‘scribblenautable’. GAME ADVICE: A-Bomb shelters won’t work against A-Bombs! objects and with new adjectives’ so you’re not getting through easily. Super Scribblenauts could be considered easier when compared to the original, but there are always few puzzles that could stump you. The new hint system allows you to buy hints with the in-game currency, ollars, or you can simply wait for them to unlock. Ollars are only useful for buying other player character sprites since worlds won’t unlock by buying them. Merits, the level editor, and level sharing over Wi-Fi are all back. They are untouched and fabulous. The graphics are a little sharper, the sounds are fine, and there are even a few new little knick-knacks (try spawning an Arcade Machine). If the original Scribblenauts piqued even a little interest in you, you should grab Super Scribblenauts. All issues are fixed, the gameplay is rock-solid, and it’s still one of the best brainteasers on the market.
GAME TIP: Go to the level editor, use the Playground template, and you can change the area in the title screen! Tech & Games
WAREZ-BB.ORG \ theSCENE \ 90
theSCENE Thank you for reading theSCENE issue 23. We look forward to seeing you again next time!