Sunday, May 19, 2013

Star Trek, vol. 2, no. 2


Star Trek Into Darkness 
2013 Paramount
Directed by J. J. Abrams

Grade: B+
Up-graded from B.

+1: Character development: Capt. James Kirk (played by Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto).
par: Adversaries, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), Klingons.
+1: Almost any scene with Scotty (Simon Pegg) or Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban).
-1: Bending physics (space suits flying like rockets in space, big things falling into coastal bays, space ships exiting a collapsing warp field, etc.).
par: Franchise serial installment.


Iron Man 3


Iron Man 3 [PG-13]
2013 Paramount, Marvel Studios
Directed by Shane Black

Grade: A-
Up-graded from B.

+1: Cast: Robert Downey, Jr. (as Tony Stark/ Iron Man), Ben Kingsley (The Mandarin).
+1: Iron Man upgrades.
par: Story structure (James Bond styled international intrigue).
par: Parenting/ mentoring styles of Tony Stark (giving a “mild” explosive device to boy to deal with bullies at school which is later shown to have the power to shock an Extremis super soldier)
par: Conclusions (vague allusions to main characters fates, and no information about The Avengers Initiative).


Bonus scene after end credits: D.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Chalk Billboard, Redrawn Twice Daily, Highlights Freshness at McDonald's

reported by David Gianatasio on ADWeek - May 10, 2013


If the crowds seem larger than usual at a certain McDonald's in Warsaw, Poland, chalk it up to the menu. We're talking about a billboard-sized menu, hand-drawn in multicolored chalk twice daily by graffiti artist Stefan Szwed-Stronzynski as part of a campaign cooked up by the local office of DDB, art studio Good Looking and Krewcy Krawcy Productions.

[read the entire article]
 

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Olympus Has Fallen


Olympus Has Fallen [R]
2013 Film District
Directed by Antoine Fuqua

Grade: B-
Up-graded from C.

Par: Feasibility.
+1: Story structure (“Die Hard” in the White House).
+1: Cast: Gerard Butler (as Secret Service Agent Mike Banning).
+1: Fight choreography.
-1: CGI destruction of Washington D.C.


Jack the Giant Slayer


Jack the Giant Slayer [PG-13]
2013 Warner Bros.
Directed by Bryan Singer

Grade: B
Up-graded from B.

Par: Comedy.
+1: Cast: Nicholas Hoult (as Jack), Ewan McGregor (Elmont), Stanley Tucci (Roderick).
-1: Science: Heights of magic beanstalks and elevations of kingdoms for giants.
Par: CGI character effects.
Par: Prologue with CGI puppets.


Die Hard 5


A Good Day to Die Hard [R]
2013 Twentieth Century Fox
Directed by John Moore

Grade: D
Down-graded from C.

Par: Boom!
-1: John Mc Clane (Bruce Willis) a tourist in Russia.
Par: Plot (double crosses and twists).
-1: Jack Mc Clane (Jai Courtney), Jack’s Son.
-1: Franchise serial installment.