Big Screen Project

Artist Statement: Because this project would be being displayed on the east coast, I decided to do something that showcased the place where I live and work. Because Reno and the surrounding areas, including Lake Tahoe, Mt. Rose, Incline Village, and UNR are so scenic and interesting, I decided to incorporate a slide show of some of my favorite sights, and overlay some thoughts about the places. The hand signs are the sign language spellings of some adjectives that myself and others feel describe the city and it's surroundings.

Iron Man 2 DVD

Iron Man 2 DVD

Released: September 28^th

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle and Gwyneth Paltrow

Directed by: Jon Favreau

Grade A

When Iron Man 2 hit theaters in May, fans of the franchise lined up around the block to see it at the release, and the film became the third-highest grossing of 2010. Now, Robert Downey Jr.(Sherlock Holmes) and his costars are invading living rooms in high definition thanks to the September 28^th release of the Iron Man 2 DVD and Blu Ray.

Iron Man 2 picks up where the previous film left off, with the hilariously eccentric corporate giant turned superhero Tony Stark adjusting to his role as Iron Man, America’s first line of defense against terrorist threats. This time though, Iron Man has more on his plate than a few Middle Eastern militia groups and an insane father figure. Along with attempting to keep Stark Industries and his playboy persona intact, Tony has realized that the Arc Reactor that powers the Iron Man suit and keeps dangerous shrapnel from entering his heart is also killing him.

As he struggles to find a suitable replacement for the power source, he must also deal with an overzealous and increasingly paranoid United States Department of Defense, hell bent on confiscating his suit and using it for themselves. As if that weren’t enough, Stark quickly realizes that he has a new enemy in town, Ivan Vanko, played by Mickey Rourke (The Expendables)  who claims that the Arc Reactor was his father’s invention, and is determined to bring honor back to his family’s name by causing the great Tony Stark to fall from grace.

The plot of this star-studded sequel is definitely entertaining and the perfect balance of action, suspense, and hilarious one-liners from Downey. While Downey flawlessly reprises the role of Stark and if possible even tops his performance in the previous film, his supporting cast proves to be even stronger this time around, with Sam Rockwell (Moon), as the suave wannabe, Justin Hammer and Don Cheatle(Brooklyn’s Finest) taking over Terrance Howard’s previous role of Col. James ‘Rodey’ Rhodes. Samuel L Jackson (The Other Guys) reprises his role as S.H.I.E.L.D. director, Nick Fury, bringing the role of the classic eye patched badass into living colour on the big screen.

The two disc special edition, available at Wal-Mart and other major retailers features numerous special features including: Deleted and extended scenes, film commentary by Jon Favreau, Ultimate Iron Man: The making of Iron Man 2, and quite a few features on S.H.I.E.L.D, Nick Fury, and their background in the comics. Overall, for fans of the film, the DVD combo pack is well worth the price, so don’t be afraid to splurge a little and bring all the action of Iron Man 2 home today.

Hands all over: More like originality all over.

Hands All Over

Maroon 5

Released: September 21

Octane Records

Grade: C

Three years after their last album, It Won’t be Soon Before Long, American rock group Maroon 5 returned last week with their third studio album, Hands All Over, bringing their unique funky sound to the table yet again with 15 brand new songs.

While the album as a whole has been met with mixed reactions, the first single, Misery reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 after being released in June.

Hands All Over starts out on a high note with Misery, which showcases the band’s classic rock-funk sounds, and the sultry falsetto of lead singer, Adam Levine, which fans have come to expect. The song itself features an upbeat pop feel, with the dark undertones that have become a signature of the band. The classic Maroon 5 sound of Misery is easy to get into and hard to not sing along with. Despite the merits of Misery as a catchy pop single, it also possesses an unoriginal flair as it sounds incredibly similar to their previous single, This Love, from their most famous album, Songs About Jane.

Give A Little More gives listeners a chance to appreciate the skills of Jesse Carmichael, the band’s guitarist, with a funky opening guitar riff that’s hard to resist. The vocals, while not as catchy as some of the band’s previous songs still feature the typical sound and feel of the band, and make Give A Little More an enjoyable listen.

The album definitely falters with Never Gonna Leave This Bed, which has a slower beat than the rest of the songs, and is completely forgettable, and one that listeners will probably skip more often than not. This track also marks the decline of the album, beginning a streak of songs that while not intolerable, also don’t leave the listener wanting more. By the end of Hands All Over, most of them end up sounding pretty much the same.

The bonus tracks however, are definitely worth a listen, featuring some live and acoustic renditions of some of the earlier album tracks. Also included in the bonus material are two cover tracks, where Lavine takes on the sounds of Alicia Keys, and Freddie Mercury with If I Aint Got You, and Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

Overall, though Hands All Over doesn’t completely fall flat, it also doesn’t define the band, or do more than provide a few more catchy singles to their resume. While people who are already fans of the band will probably enjoy the new tracks on the album, people who haven’t already come to love Maroon 5 will not be convinced to jump on the bandwagon.

Gore literally flies off the screen in Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D

Resident Evil: Afterlife

Starring: Mila Jovovitch, Ali Larter, Wentworth Miller, and  Shawn Roberts

Rated R for sequences of strong violence and language.

Grade B

Over the course of the last year movie makers have jumped head first into the 3D craze, turning just about every film possible into an eye-popping production. Few of those films, however have managed to exploit the technology as brilliantly and as shamelessly as Resident Evil: Afterlife, which hit theaters last week.

The film takes place after the events of Resident Evil: Extinction, following Alice (Milla Jovovich, The Fourth Kind) on her mission to exact revenge on Albert Wesker (Shawn Roberts, Edge of Darkness) the chairman of the evil Umbrella Corporation.

 Afterlife opens with a bang, as Alice and her clones break into the Umbrella Corporation headquarters in Tokyo. While the clones lay waste to the underground facility, the real Alice confronts Wesker as he attempts to escape. However, during their confrontation, Wesker injects Alice with a serum that neutralizes the T-Virus in her system, taking away her super-human powers.

The timeline then skips forward three months, showing Alice combing the west coast for survivors, and following a transmission from Arcadia, an allegedly infection free community in Alaska. However, upon arriving at the right coordinates, Alice finds only an empty field, and her old friend, Claire Redfield who appears to be suffering amnesia. The two fly to Los Angeles and encounter a group of survivors who have set up camp in an abandoned prison. Very soon, they find that contrary to their previous ideas, Arcadia is a cargo ship, not a city, and it is anchored just off the coast.

The group hatches an escape plan, with the help of Chris Redfield (Wentworth Miller, Prison Break) who was stationed at the prison during a military operation, and helps them find the supplies they need to make their getaway. Eventually, through a series of epic 3D action sequences, the survivors make their way to the Arcadia. Unfortunately, the ship is not what it seems, and a climactic battle ensues.

While the acting in AfterLife is not all around horrible, it seems that the characters have little care for the hardships that befall them throughout the plot. During the first five minutes of the film, Alice has her super human powers taken away, a seemingly important development. However, her lack of powers is never mentioned again. The characters also have a complete apathy for their fallen comrades, showing absolutely no reaction when their companions are picked off one by one. This is more likely than not the result of bad writing. Or perhaps we are simply supposed to believe that these people are so hardened by their apocalyptic life styles that they don’t give a damn zombies turning their friends into Snack Packs. Either way, their intense apathy makes the characters slightly unrealistic, and very hard for the audience to relate to.

The action sequences featured epic stunts, and tons of fantastic 3D gore effects, but they became monotonous due to the filmmaker’s apparent love for slow motion shots. However, the blades, bullets, and blood flying out of the screen made the fight scenes completely enthralling.

While Afterlife definitely appeals more to fans of the series, and the plot points make more sense if you know the back-story of the other films, the newest installment in the franchise is also entertaining all on its own. Normally, I wouldn’t encourage spending money on expensive 3D movie tickets, it completely enhances the special effects of the film, and if you’re going to see it, it is certainly worth the extra few dollars.

Overall, if you’re looking for a decent zombie movie, and the corny one-liners, and fantastic amounts of gore that go along with it, check out Resident Evil: Afterlife, in theaters now.

Machete

My first Sagebrush review for this semester: Machete! Enjoy!



Machete
Rated:  R for strong bloody violence throughout, language, some sexual content and nudity.
Starring: Danny Trejo, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba, Cheech Marin, and Robert DeNiro.
Grade: B-
In 2007, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino collaborated to bring moviegoers Grindhouse, a gore filled homage to the B movie genre. The action packed double feature consisted of a film from each of the directors, separated by a number of faux trailers for supposedly upcoming films. Though many of these laughable clips were never revisited, at least one fake trailer proved to be a cinematic gem, as was proven when Machete hit theaters this weekend.

Machete follows the story of an ex federale of the same name, and his struggle to bring Torrez, (Steven Seagal, Kill Switch)  the Mexican drug cartel that killed his wife and daughter to justice. Machete travels to America in hopes of keeping a low profile, but he is soon dragged into the middle of a farfetched political plot and framed for the shooting of the outspoken Senator McLaughlin (Robert DeNiro, Righteous Kill). While attempting to get to the bottom of the plot to frame him, Machete makes allies in some unexpected places, enlisting the help of Sartana (Jessica Alba, Valentines Day). Together, the two gather evidence to prove the dirty dealings of Senator McLaughlin, and his financial backers.

Danny Trejo steals the show as Machete, bringing his tough guy experience to the forefront of the character, and portraying the blade slinging man of few words with unmistakable authenticity. Throughout the course of the film, Trejo manages to shoot, kick, and slice his way to pure bad ass status like a murderous MacGyver, pulling off ridiculous feats like driving from the backseat of a car by turning a machete that is lodged in the driver, and outfitting a standard weed eater with 6 inch blades like some sort of gardener from hell.

While the film would be nothing without Trejo in the leading role, the star studded supporting cast makes Machete a true delight. Alba shows a tougher side of herself as an immigrations agent looking to further her career and do right by the law. Michelle Rodriguez (Fast and Furious) further proves her ability to play hard-as-nails chicks as Luz, the leader of an underground immigration ring. DeNiro brings his charm and experience in criminal roles to enhance the shady senator, and Daryl Sabara who also worked with Trejo and Robert Rodriguez on the Spy Kids trilogy provided fun blast from the past while playing Julio.

While it could probably be said that without the B movie feel, a few more plot twists and a somewhat larger budget, Machete could have been a hit, I think that this film will quickly find a heavy cult following. For those interested in the B-movie genre, Machete is a fantastically gory thrill ride, with a great cast, plenty of explosions, and a fairly decent plot. Though I don’t expect record attendance or five star ratings for this bloody shoot ‘em up tale, it was definitely worth admission prices, and provided a couple hours of entertainment and laughs.

Latest punk goes... compilation album tackles the classics.

Punk Goes Classic Rock
Released by Fearless Records
Various artists
Release Date 4/27/10
Grade: B

Over the years, it has become more and more popular for bands to attempt to put their own spin on an old favorite. Songs like Yesterday by The Beatles, or Over the Rainbow By Judy Garland are remade over and over again by new artists, to the extent that covers have become somewhat of a musical genre all their own.

The Punk Goes… compilation album series specializes in covers, and features popular emo, punk, and pop-punk bands rerecording favorite songs from various genres. The most recent album in the series, Punk Goes Classic Rock dropped last week and focuses on covers of 15 classic rock hits from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.

The album starts off on a high note with the popular Boston song, More than a feeling covered by pop-punk band Hit The Lights. The band does a great job of staying true to the original song, and melody while still finding the opportunities to add their own modernized guitar riffs in the background. Lead vocalist Nick Thompson does Boston’s Brad Delp justice by fearlessly belting out the traditional high notes of the song. If there is anything wrong with this cover, it is only that the general tone comes off a bit cutesy in comparison to the original, however overall Hit The Lights does a decent job of keeping the integrity of More than a Feeling intact.

Track two of the album is a cover of Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones performed by rock trio, VersaEmerge. Overall, this song is surprisingly good, and one of the best-done covers on the album. The band inputs their own electronic rock vibe to the song, which at first seems a bit gimmicky, however then fades into the background and only adds to the overall ambiance of the song. The back and forth style in which vocalists Sierra Kusterbeck and Blake Harnage take on the verses only enhances the song, especially the raspy shouts of Kusterbeck which allow the cover to have the same edgy feel of the original.

The rest of the album is fairly hit and miss with the next three songs, Free Fallin’, We are the champions, and Rock and Roll All Nite falling flat in the face of some of the other covers on the album. All three start out with definite potential, but then fail to offer anything new or interesting, leaving the listener longing for the original versions.

The We The Kings rendition of Caught up in You by .38 special is by far one of my favorite songs on the album. The band takes very few liberties with the original song, but the few changes that they do only enhance the original song. The vocals of lead singer, Travis Clark stay true to the original vocalist and the band members make themselves at home in this cover, making it sound like it could have been performed by them all along.

The songs that follow are a roller coaster of epic wins and epic fails. A Skylit Drive rocks out a brilliant rendition of Journey’s Separate Ways (Worlds Apart), followed by a fantastic cover by I See Stars of The Outfield’s Your Love that features all the great parts of the original with a few screamo additions. Every Avenue along with the help of Juliet Simms of Automatic Loveletter do great justice to Eddie Money’s Take Me Home Tonight giving the original a great updated feel, and leaving the listener hitting the repeat button.

Don’t Fear the Reaper starts out with definite potential but proves to have to repeat value as the cover lacks any of the imagination of the original, and is overall very boring. Covers of Aerosmith’s Dream On, Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train and Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar On Me lack the intensely energetic vibe of the originals, making the songs (Which aren’t horrible in and of themselves) somewhat of a letdown to those accustomed to the originals.

Overall however, the biggest letdown on the album is by far Never Shout Never’s cover of Queen’s hit Bohemian Rhapsody. During the first few seconds of the song, it is already obvious that it will not live up to the original, then as the verses come and go, the suspicion is confirmed.  Christopher Ingle fails to even attempt to live up to the brilliant harmonies displayed Freddie Mercury and his band mates, and his vocals prove to be simply irritating. Even though most of the failure of this song can be accounted to the fact that Bohemian Rhapsody is simply a hard song to live up to, I think that blame can also be put on the producer for allowing a single recording artist to cover a song that relies so heavily on the chemistry of an entire band.

Despite a few hits and misses however, Punk Goes Classic Rock lives up to the other albums in the series and for the most part, features some surprisingly good covers of songs that haven’t been done justice to in the past.

'The Losers' is a winner

The typical vigilante justice movie plot got a badass makeover this weekend with the release of the newest DC Comics film adaptation, The Losers.
Though this explosive action film didn’t quite reach the top of the ratings this weekend, the great visual effects, well casted characters, and perpetually twisting plotline were enough to wow the audience members who did attend, including myself.
The film follows an elite Special Forces army unit sent to the Bolivian jungle on a covert mission. However, when it appears that the team has been double-crossed by a powerful man on the inside who calls himself Max, they must fake their own deaths in order to escape. The five go into hiding in a Bolivian city, and while their colonel, Clay (Jeffery Dean Morgan, Watchmen) hopes for revenge on the man that framed them, the other men in his team just hope to make their way home to their families.
Now enters Star Trek’s Zoe Saldana, as Aisha, a not to be messed with chick with a penchant for killing, and the ability to handle a rocket launcher. Aisha has her own plan, which coincidentally also involves seeking vengeance on Max. However, she can’t do it alone, and she makes a successful attempt to seduce Clay in order to enlist the help of his team.
From here, the plotline thickens, and the men are smuggled back into the United States in hopes of reaching Miami in time to intercept Max, who they believe will be there, however what they find instead is a portable hard drive containing all of his monetary assets. The team then hatches a new plan to follow the information on the hard drive to Max’s main base of operations and expose his plan to sell a dangerous weapon to other countries in hopes of starting a war.
The visual effects in the film were as awesome and supercharged as you would expect from a high budget action flick, and the cinematography was creative, but in a good way. From blinding explosions, to a weapon of mass destruction with the capability to dematerialize an entire island, to shots of fleeing enemies in the reflection of falling broken glass, The Losers definitely didn’t skimp on the effects.
The Losers’ acting also didn’t fall short Though the cheesy comic book one-liners did make an appearance, for the most part the acting was believable and the characters seemed genuine. The casting team put together a group of actors that had the chemistry to pull off the roles of a close knit unit. Jeffery Dean Morgan does a great job of putting his charm, and his strong silent act on parade while portraying the determined Colonel Clay, and Idris Elba (Obsessed) portrays real emotion as the hard to please second in command, Roque who has a short fuse and an itchy trigger finger. Oscar Jaenada, who has acted mostly in Spanish films so far in his career plays Cougar, the stoic loner of the group who specializes in long range shooting.
Chris Evans (Push) and Columbus Short (Death at a Funeral) show great chemistry while playing the unit’s more comedic members, Jensen and Pooch. Evans puts on a stellar show as the quirky but tech savvy Jensen, who more than once is forced to embarrass himself for the good of the team, but with hilarious results. Short comes off genuine and likeable as Pooch, the pedal to the metal mechanic, who sometimes has Jensen hack into satellites in order to catch glimpses of his pregnant wife on security cameras.
All in all, The Losers is a great choice if you’re looking for a high adrenaline action flick this week. It is balanced on all accounts in terms of plot, effects, and acting and does not overpower itself in any one area by being too plot driven, or too horribly bloody. The film employs plot twists and dialogue at the right times, and then just leaves it to huge explosions and ass kicking at others.