The Green Hornet Review

I went into The Green Hornet movie with no preconceptions. I hadn’t seen the tv series (before my time). All I knew was it was a superhero movie of sorts with some action and a cool car with gadgets. That, along with some good dialog, should be enough to keep me interested. Unfortunately, The Green Hornet couldn’t do that.

The movie is about a playboy son of a media mogul who takes a hard look at his wasted life when his father dies. From there, Britt, played by Seth Rogen, joins forces with the enigmatic Kato to take on crime in Los Angeles. They do it by posing as bad guys and driving around in a gadget-filled car called Black Beauty.

The movie started off just fine, but quickly I became uninterested in what was happening on screen. I found the dialog forced and the acting, in some places, was uneven and took me out of the film. Kato, played by Jay Chou, was the highlight of the parts of the film I did see and I would have stopped watching earlier, if not for him. In the end, I lasted about a third of the way through the movie before stopping. Cameron Diaz hadn’t even made an appearance by then.

I have to give The Green Hornet 1 Mick Happy. I would avoid this movie; it isn’t worth your time. Rather than watch the whole film, I went to Wikipedia and read the synopsis of the plot and moved on with my life.

Sasha- A Trial of Blood and Steel Book One Review

Sasha (A Trial of Blood and Steel Book One) is the first book in a fantasy series by Joel Shepherd. The book was published in October 2009 by Pyr books. I learned about this book from Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist when Pat posted that the book was currently available for free in a Kindle version. Prior to reading Sasha, I had already read one of the Cassandra Kresnov books by Joel Shepherd, Crossover.

Like his Cassandra Kresnov books, there is plenty of action in Sasha and a female lead character with superior martial skills. Sasha, one of several children of the current King has been trained as a warrior, something unheard of in her lands, and must prove herself to most she meets. Additionally, you are presented with a society where there are two main peoples struggling through religious differences while maintaining a somewhat peaceful existence. The religious differences of the characters are the main source of the conflict in the book and drive many of their actions. To make things even worse for the titular character of the book, Sasha, her home of Lenayin is a typical male run feudal society where women are expected to stay out of the decision-making and business of men. 

As is often the case with the start of a new fantasy series, Sasha starts a little slowly. It took me almost the whole first chapter to really start to become interested in what was going on and begin to see this as a story I might read all the way through. It is possible that this was partially due to reading the book on an iPod Touch using the Kindle app, where it requires more effort to flip to maps and previous information. However, once the story moved past the obligatory introduction of several main characters, you begin to be drawn in by the complex society and interpersonal conflicts between the characters. It should be noted that when you open the Kindle version of the book, it will go to the first page, but there are maps and a list of key characters prior to the start of the book that you should bookmark and use as reference.

All in all, this was a good read, especially if you opt for the free Kindle version. The banter between characters rarely feels forced or an info dump and the action is well written and crisp. After finishing the book, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are three other books in print in the Trial of Blood and Steel series. I will probably be picking up the next, Petrodor, once I finish with A Dance of Dragons. I give this one 3 Mick Happies.

Hall Pass Movie Review

            Hall Pass, released in 2011 by directors Bobby and Peter Farrelly, stars Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis. It is the story of two married men who are given a week off from marriage by their wives who have become frustrated with their husbands behavior. True to form, this is an over-the-top film with cringe-worthy and disgusting moments that leave you not wanting to continue but unable to look away.

            As with any comedy movie of its type, there are pretty women to be chased, horrible pickup lines and turnabout as fair play for the wives. The problem with this movie is that the humor is uncomfortable more often than funny and the truly funny parts are too few and far between. I can say that the scenes that stay with you after the film is over fall more into the category of things you can’t un-hear or un-see than memorable for being LOL funny.

            I watched the film on DVD from Netflix, so I can’t comment on DVD extras that come in the commercial DVD. If they are just more of what was in the movie, you shouldn’t rush out to buy it.

            If you need to see a gross-out comedy of this ilk, I would recommend 2002’s The Sweetest Thing or even the Farrelly brother’s There’s Something About Mary over this one. I give it 2 Mick Happies, you may just have to pass this one by.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Review

Michael Bay’s third installment of the Transformers franchise, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, continues the formula that has drawn people to see the previous two movies - robots, over the top action, some eye candy and blowing up a lot of things. Not necessarily in that order and sometimes all at once. The main problem is that like a meal of mainly rice, it fills you up, but only for a while.

I went to the movie with my family on July 4^th and saw the feature in 2D. Two and half hours, five or six trailers and $39 later, we all left with pretty much the same conclusion. Yes, all of the awesome robots are back. Yes, there are even more of them, though you don’t really know where they came from unless you pay close attention. Yes, the action is so frenetic that you will be tired after its all said and done and you won’t be able to catch it all even if you watch the movie three times. This is great and the movie works if you are only looking to switch off your brain and just experience the spectacle. It is only after you step out and start discussing it that you realize that you aren’t feeling as good about it as you thought.

What we liked was the return of Wheelie and the introduction of another small Autobot, Brains. The overall banter in the movie was pretty good and did bring out laughs and smiles, but these two little bots had some of the best. Even Sam’s parents are back and provide more cringe-worthy commentary to embarrass their son. I won’t go into things we didn’t like; I don’t want to spoil anything for you. However, here are a couple things that would make the next Transformers movie better:

1.     Have a love interest, or leading woman who can actually do more than be there for the male characters to look at or fight over.

2.     Have a rationale for where the new ‘bots have come from and have it fit into the overall plot rather than be explained away in a single line of dialogue.

3.     Don’t have another cranky, drunk on power, government agent.

4.     More Cybertron, please.

5.     Slow down the action or reduce the amount going on at any one time, you just can’t see it all.

The only nit I will pick about this movie is that it’s difficult to believe that after saving the world twice and graduating college that Sam would be unemployed rather than working for the government with the Autobots. Not a spoiler per se as this comes up in the first 5 – 10 minutes of the movie.

Final rating for this one is 3 Mick Happies. It works as a brainless spectacle, but the thinness of plot may not hold up for multiple viewing. It is worth seeing (robot on robot action always is) but watch it on your big screen at home, if you can wait that long.

Game of Thrones Review

Game of Thrones recently finished its first season on HBO. Season one of the television show is based on the first novel, of the bestselling, A Song of Ice and Fire series, by George R.R. Martin. In full disclosure, I am a big fan of Mr. Martin's novels and have read all four novels (fifth out July 12, 2011) and the three short stories currently written before seeing the TV show.

It has been years since I first read A Game of Thrones, so I found the HBO series to mirror my expectations for the story without seeming to leave out significant plot lines or characters. Game of Thrones is, at its core, a story of political intrigue where families maneuver for power over their rivals. Set against a fantasy backdrop, its a world that has known peace for many years but is heading toward dark times.

The fantasy trappings are all here in the form of castles, knights, otherworldly creatures and strange happenings. However, they are just the window dressing for the real focus: the story and characters. Game of Thrones is violent, sexy, poignant and beautiful and the producers have faithfully brought the novel to life with all of their twists and turns. It is impossible for a show to have the same number of people on screen as Martin is able to place into the novels, but the difference is not noticeable here. Note that this is an adult show with heavy violence, nudity and sexual situations so plan your viewing time accordingly.

Overall, I found the best place to see Game of Thrones is from your PC through HBOGO. On the PC, HBOGO gives you behind the scenes details relevant to the action on screen and can help those new to the show immerse themselves in the deep backstory of the land of Westeros and its people. That being said, I did watch it most on my big screen TV where the sweeping landscapes and views of Winterfell, King's Landing and the Wall really felt immense.

Game of Thrones has already been picked up for a second season, which will air in Spring 2012. I can't wait and wholeheartedly give the show 5 Mick Happies.

For more details on HBO's Game of Thrones series, check out these sites:
Game of Thrones homepage at HBO.
Game of Thrones recap on Tor.com. (Warning spoilers)

For a  detailed read through and commentary on the A Song of Ice and Fire series, go here:
Leigh Butler's read of A Song of Ice and Fire on Tor.com. (Warning spoilers)