SpoilerTV - TV Spoilers

Two films have recently been released that are fairly similar: the Coen brothers' True Grit and Gore Verbinski's Rango. Both are set in the Old West and feature the same themes of retribution and proving oneself. However, Grit features an Oscar-winning cast with names like Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin. Rango revolves around a chameleon teaming with a gecko to fight off a turtle and snake. Despite this, I believe both can be compared when it comes to the quality that the films possess.

True Grit, a remake of the 1951 Western of the same name, begins when outlaw Tom Chaney (Brolin) guns down the father of Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) and steals his possessions and horses. Maddie decides to pursue Chaney with the help of hired US Marshall Cogburn (Bridges), and Texas Ranger LeBoeuf (Damon), who also seeks Chaney for personal reasons. Along the way to bringing Chaney to justice, they each learn that the others have the 'true grit' necessary to each get what they want.

Despite Jeff Bridge's scene-chewing performance as the cycloptic US Marshall Rooster Cogburn (originally played by Uber-Cowboy John Wayne), True Grit is a character ensemble film, with Matt Damon and Hailee Steinfeld being equally important and impressive as Bridges. Steinfeld deserves mentioning especially, due to her incredibly impressive debut, delivering the Coen's fast-paced dialogue with the confidence of an actor 20 years her senior and she genuinely seems to be enjoying herself doing it. Matt Damon also deserves praise for his performance, as I was honestly surprised at how well he suited the role of the cocky and arrogant LeBoeuf, as well as the Western setting. However Bridges, as always, steals the show with a stellar performance worthy of a Best Actor nomination, with his drunken slurring and violent nature feeling very realistic and making you forget he ever starred as the free-living pacifist “The Dude” in the Coen's epic The Big Lebowski.

The only problem I had was the underused Josh Brolin. The main plot revolves around the three characters searching for this elusive, crafty and murderous 'Tom Chaney'. But when they discover him, he only appears on screen for the last fifteen minutes or so, and after Brolin's performance in the Coen's No Country For Old Men, he was one of the main reasons I wanted to see this film. A talent such of his should have had a bigger role for certain, but what he had to deal with, he handled expertly as usual.

True Grit marks the Coens' first real attempt at a 'genre' film, instead of making a film in that certain 'Coen Brothers' way. Whilst Westerns have certain aspects that need adhering to, such as gunfights, the double-crossing and the authentic dialogue, the Coens handle it incredibly well as well as adding their own style to things, such as Rooster's dry humour and a situation involving a man in a bearskin. The Coens make sure that everything looks sublime, with BAFTA-winning cinematography from Roger Deakins, as well as the costume and music. I am certain I will be labelling this one of my films of the year come December.

It is possible that Rango will be up there too. High praise indeed for an animation that isn't made by Pixar or Dreamworks, but Gore Verbinski's Rango isn't really aimed at the same audience, which is quite refreshing. Verbinski did it for a change of pace from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and that is exactly what it is.

Rango tells the tale of a chameleon who ends up lost in the Mojave Desert. When he happens upon the town of Dirt and it's inhabitants, the chameleon takes on the persona of 'Rango', a tough gunslinger. The townpeople are thoroughly impressed by 'Rango' and make him their Sheriff, and put him in charge of finding out what is happening to their ever-diminishing water source, as well as defending their town from Rattlesnake Jake.

Now the storyline isn't really going to enthral the little 'uns and it might go a little over their heads. Some of my colleagues walked out of the film due to 'being bored', so it isn't for everyone. I got the feeling that it was mainly aimed at film fans, as the film features many references to Westerns of the past, such as Rango speaking to a Clint Eastwood figure, as well as nods to other films, such as Rango landing on the car windshield of Raoul Duke, a character Depp played in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The animal characters are quite grotesque, and look truly anthropomorphsised. The script is quite witty and sharp, with Johnny Depp doing a great job as usual as the titular chameleon. It might be a little complicated but it is fresh and original and I sincerely hope for more in the future.

With both True Grit and Rango making a decent impression on the box office figures, and with the upcoming Cowboys and Aliens, it looks like Westerns may be coming back from the dead. I just hope that Jeff Bridges stars in ALL of them. Sorry, make that ALL films. Eye-patch: optional.

Super 8

Hi, my name is Charles Kelly, and I am addicted to J.J. Abrams.

I guess my story starts in 2004 when I was introduced to a little show called "LOST." Even though he left quite early in the show's creative timeline, I still followed it until the end, trying to find out every last secret about that mysterious island.

In 2007 I went to the movies and stumbled upon a trailer for a very interesting movie where a monster plays softball with Lady Liberty's head. I got obsessed with this as well, and followed the Viral marketing campaign to figure out any information I could before that movie was released. I even bought a poster of the movie even before it was officially called "Cloverfield."

In 2009, Abrams literally rebooted the classic universe of "StarTrek" with his own style of movie making, and got my attention with a video of a man welding metal to the hull of the Enterprise.

And now, my addiction has gotten even worse with the addition of "Super 8" to J.J.'s portfolio. I would also talk about my intense addiction to Steven Spielburg, but that's something that I cant control any more. At least these addictions are not causing me physical harm... Yet.

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As the title suggests, the plot of "Super 8" centers around a group of kids trying to make a zombie flick on the old Super 8mm standard of film. (If you have no idea about what that is, check out wikipedia's info about it here.) The kids find themselves in the middle of a huge train wreck, which is holding a creature of unknown origins. Past that, I cannot give out any more information about the actual plot, without fear of spoiling the movie.

I can say that even though J.J. likes to hide his monsters from you, you do (eventually) get to see it.

REVIEW: How the Movie Looks (3.5/5)

The movie is based in the late 70's, and the color scheme reminds me of Spielburg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." I would give this a perfect rating if it wasn't for the one aspect of J.J. Abrams I don't like a lot of the time... Obnoxious lens flares.

There are points in the movie where I find myself thinking, "This is in the dark, and in a place where there shouldn't be lights. What light source are these flares coming from?" It's just something that I nitpick, and something I wish I won't have to see as much of in "StarTrek2." Here's to hoping.

REVIEW: How the Movie Sounds (5/5)

The soundtrack is just beautiful. A great mixture of classic 70's rock and roll with a great score allows the audience to get even more immersed into this world they have created. (With the exception to one specific song played twice in the movie, where I found myself singing along.)

I also was grateful that the people in charge of sound didn't make as huge of a difference than other movies between the quiet moments and the 'Holy Crap' scare me half to death moments. Usually I have to plug my ears and miss quite a large amount of dialogue so I dont risk severe damage to my hearing. However, when they want to scare you... They do.

REVIEW: Overall Plotline (5/5)

One thing I hate about most Science Fiction movies as of late, is the fact that the writers do not give me a reason to care about the characters they have created. In "Super 8" I was drawn in to every aspect of each of the characters, and cared for them intensely. (or hated them deeply.) The Science Fiction aspects aren't even introduced to the movie until almost 20 minutes in, which allows for us to absorb everything about these people. Science Fiction writers take note, I like to care about your characters... Please give me a chance to do so.

There are a few different stories happening within the movie besides the "Monster" plotline. All of these mesh together so incredibly well, and have great purpose to where the writers try to take you within those two hours.

There is a few blatant morals that go along with the story, but they don't make it sound preachy. It made me think about what would happen in real life if situations like that would occur... And what the consequences would be if we didn't handle it correctly. (Also, how would you know if you handled it correctly?) Those are some thoughts you should have in the movie. I thought it was hilarious how they handled their anti drug message within the movie. Should make you laugh as well.

I feel that this will probably not be the greatest movie to take your kids to see if you are not okay with language, (They do use their one-time PG-13 F-Bomb,) but a great movie to watch if you do not mind. (Great way to teach your kids not to use drugs.)

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Like I said earlier, I don't want to give anything away if you don't like to be spoiled. If you are in desperate need of knowing what I felt about the spoilery things of the story... I am sure you can find the information you need somewhere online. I recommend going into this movie without any knowledge of what happens. It is worth it, I promise you.

Overall, Super 8 is a fantastic movie that I feel will inspire more great original ideas in the future. It's a movie that you shouldn't miss, and wont regret spending the money to go see.

Oh, and there are no versions of it in 3D. Even better!

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As always, my reviews are opinion based... And I would love to hear your ideas on if you liked this movie or not in the comments below. Have a fantastic day!

X-Men: First Class

I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of the X-Men. Their powers always seemed a bit too fantastical, the universe a bit too large, and, let's face it, their costumes a bit too silly. While the first two X-Men films were decently good entertainment, the second the series was handed off to Brett Ratner, it all went to hell. First the convoluted, annoying (they killed Cyclops!) third installment, than the painful X-Men Origins: Wolverine (did anyone else find the half-finished leak better than the finished product?). Needless to say, I wasn't expecting this film to be much better - despite the casting of Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, and the hiring of Kick-Ass helmer Matthew Vaughan.

I'm happy to report that for the most part, I was wrong. The new film doesn't only reinvigorate the franchise, it feels completely separated from the first three and the half-baked Origins story. Mid-way through the film, it almost feels as if the creators are signaling to the audience "don't worry... we're making sure this one isn't crap." (Hint: It involves a fan favorite).

The plot is simple and fun. Charles Xavier (played well by James McAvoy), with the help of the US Government, assembles a team of mutants including Beast (Nicholas Hoult, who will always be the kid from About a Boy to me), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and finally, the vengeance seeking holocaust survivor Erik/Magneto (understated, but great performance from Michael Fassbender). Together, they prepare as the evil Shaw (Kevin Bacon) attempts to provoke war between the Soviets and the United States in order to lead the human race to extinction, leaving just the superior mutants.

What this movie succeeds in doing that the previous two X-Men installments failed miserably at was keeping it grounded and believable. Sure, a skimpily clothed January Jones can turn into crystal, and an entire nuclear submarine can be pulled out of the water every once in a while, but between those moments is real character development. Each character, especially Erik, is made sympathetic and real - you believe the arc that Erik is taken on. Charles Xavier is less fleshed out, and for the most part presents an enjoyable foil for Erik, but his character too has believable backing.

The tone is much more in line with the time period it represents - there is lots of humor sprinkled in with the drama, and in the middle half of the film, you may find yourself laughing more than being sucked in with the drama. Matthew Vaughan has proved adept at handling humor and action, and puts that to work here. Luckily, the humor doesn't detract from the drama in the same way it did in, say, X-Men: The Last Stand ("I'm the Juggernaut, bitch!").

The main fault of the film is lack of nuance. While the character development is there, and it is well done - it is all too explicit. Erik is at the losing end of this scriptwriting parable: whenever the movie wants to make a point about his character, it comes off predictable, cliche, and unsubtle. The film reminds us again and again of his history as a holocaust survivor - the Nazi coin, the number tattoo - even flashbacks. When important character moments hinge on his knowledge, the film isn't satisfied to tell us in subtext what the characters are thinking - it must be yelled REALLY LOUDLY. I grimaced as Erik screamed "Never Again!" as he fought off the enemy. At the end of it all, as good as the movie was, it never got to the point where it could be considered a great film. It had no layers, nothing beneath the immediate plot and characters laid out simply for us like a jigsaw puzzle with the pieces lined up, just needing to be pushed in. That's what makes X-Men: First Class a great comic book movie - instead of being able to elevate itself to being a great movie in its own right, like The Dark Knight did. There are great scenes, great lines, and great moments; but the moments between can often seem perfunctory, and sometimes cringe-worthy. When Charles Xavier mentions the group being "G-Men without the G," I hoped they've leave it there. But alas, Rose Byrne (continuing her movement up the "what-her-name" totem pole one movie at a time) must pipe in "Like... X-Men."

I really enjoyed the movie. It was fun, exciting, and intense. The characters were strong and believable, the writing good. It felt so close to truly being a great movie, which makes it more frustrating when it backs away and is satisfied with doing some things the easy way. It may be that my expectations were too high, and they should have been lower given the last two attempts to bring the X-Men to screen. I'll be sure to fix that next time by re-watching X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Actually, after thinking about that again, this movie was pretty damn great.

88/100

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I must say that I was incredibly impressed with this movie. It seems like Dreamworks and Disney are having quite a large role reversal... Where Dreamworks used to be the company with pretty terrible movie sequels, and where Disney's were well thought out. It will be interesting seeing if my prediction is correct over the next few years.

Before we get started, I have a public service announcement for everyone reading this review!

(Also, its best to imagine an announcer speaking the next few paragraphs.)

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Welcome to Mister Kelly's rules for going to the movies! A place where you can get more insight into the world of film, and hopefully become a better audience member as we go along.

Rule number one: Don't talk during the movies.

It's a normal occurrence for adults, or even teenagers to go to the movies together. It also is socially acceptable for these groups of people to talk when they are in proximity of each other.

The reason why a majority of people go see movies is to suspend their belief and escape the chatter of everyday life. When you feel the need to speak during the movie, please don't. It forces the people around you out of their own fantasy land back into the depressing real world.

The only situation where you should be talking to people around you is if you were going to interrupt them anyways. Please leave all questions and comments about the movie until afterward. If you fear forgetting the silly banter you were going to say, feel free to bring a notepad and write them down as you go along. Everyone around you will be much happier when you do so.

If you are loud during the film, you risk other people from the audience coming up to you and politely asking you to shut up. How embarrassing.

This concludes Mister Kelly's rules for going to the Movies! And now back to your feature presentation.
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(Finished with the announcers voice at this point.)

The reason why I posted this, is because lately whenever I am going to a movie I always find someone not thinking about the people around them. It usually is a matter of someone sneaking something ridiculous into the theater, (a bottle of wine, which breaks when dropped) or when someone is loud (Teenagers, Babies, etc.)

The next time you go see a movie, please think of the people around you.

If you havent seen or heard anything about Kung Fu Panda 2, here is a short spoiler-free synopsis written by yours truly.

(Back to the announcers voice)

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"Kung Fu Panda 2 is the continuation of the first film of the same name starring Jack Black (School of Rock, Gulliver's Travels) as Po, a kung-fu fighting panda bear. Along with the 'Furious Five,' Po attempts to save China from the clutches of the peacock Lord Shen, (Gary Oldman, Harry Potter) a powerful and evil part of China's past. Not only will Po have to deal with parts of China's past, but parts of his own as well."
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(Ending the announcers voice)

Now if you haven't seen any of my video reviews before, (You can check a few of them out Here.) I review movies in three different categories; how the movie looks, how it sounds, and how the overall story plays out.

REVIEW: How the movie looks. (4/5)

Usually when it comes to animation sequels, effects are usually about the same by using most of the same models. I was very surprised when this movie went out of its way to create new models and characters, as well as revamp the cartoon look during certain parts of the movie to more properly fit the style instead of looking like a bad anime.

I loved watching all the characters in the background, because they weren't just standing around like in other animation movies. They did seem to have a story all on their own. Also, the scenic directors should have gotten a raise with how beautiful all the different sets were.

I did not see the movie in 3D (hurts my eyes) but hearing from people who usually go see movies in 3D, they said it looked much better than most other movies that try to go the route of the third dimension.

REVIEW: How the movie sounds. (3.5/5)

Having all of the original actors reprise their roles was a great choice, I love hearing Jackie Chan, David Cross and Seth Rogan play off each other, but the large addition to the list of famous voice actors was a great choice. A few of the additions from the original movie include Danny McBride, (Your Highness) Dennis Haysbert, (24) Gary Oldman, (Harry Potter) and Jean-Claude Van (Freaking) Damme. Each character held their own throughout the movie, and none were forgettable.

The soundtrack was composed by Hans Zimmer. (Pirates of the Caribbean) I wasnt extremely impressed with a lot of the music, having the same song play through most of the movie did not add much depth to the movie. I think this was one of the biggest letdowns of the movie. It wasnt horrible, just not memorable.

REVIEW: Overall story. (4/5)

I was very impressed with the risks taken to continue this story. Without spoiling anything I'll say that the characters got a great chance to grow and learn, and the overall moral of the story was very exciting to see playing out. Also, they left the story extremely open for a sequel.

I'm excited to see where Dreamworks takes this story in the future.

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As always, each of my reviews are opinion based. I would love to hear what you thought of the movie in the comment section below!