Despite using a very predictable plot, I would be lying if I said that I didn't have a darn good time in the theatre with Real Steel. It's predictability is unable to tie down this adrenaline-pumping beast of a movie. The character development is surprisingly compelling for a blockbuster. It more than fulfils the requirements of an outstanding blockbuster, and is definitely a classic for the millennial generation.
Reviews
4 Reviews
The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
(2010–2012)
A mighty fine animated series, a world where DC comics animations reign.
19 March 2019
This series is true to the source material. But infinitely more important, it is true to the spirit, heart and drive of the source material. This enables it to change, twist, to even every so often go beyond what the great pioneers of comics achieved before it.
It is undoubtedly comic-accurate, in the most important aspect of any story: the characters. Although Tony Stark comes off initially as a full-blown impression of what Robert Downey Jr and the Marvel Cinematic Universe have achieved, he is very much his own character and very much stands on his own two feet. The best example of this is the indomitable season one finale, where even comic readers found ourselves surprised and thrilled and cheering for our heroes in a way that few other shows have achieved.
The animation quality is top-notch and more than enough to rival the legendary DC Comics series (of which I am a big admirer). It is fantastic. It is very very grounded in relatable reality in way that many DC animations are lacking, yet it, dare I say, manages to enhance the iconic work of Jack 'The King' Kirby, with his unforgettable, distinct style and a equally strong colouring. The achievement of the animation here makes the cartoons' subsequent decline, in shows such as Avengers Assemble which was frankly at best a compliment to the MCU for toddlers, all the more painful.
The stories, as I have said, have managed to capture a great deal of the essence of the comics. They remain true to the characters, and rarely rush a narrative. Characters are mostly placed well and serve a clear function in the plot. With the library of storylines at their fingertips, my hat is off to the writers. They have, in my opinion, not only chosen the right plots to adapt, merge and hint at, but they have also paced and directed the flow of the series very successfully. While some pacing issues and jarring gaps were cause of a great deal of pain to me, it was because of how invested I was in the story and the characters that made my pain as severe as it was.
The series finale feels rather soon, with many many awesome introductions and short stories leading up to it. It feels rushed, yet undeniably extremely entertaining. They manage to come up with new solutions to problems that have been solved so many times over in comics.
Ultimately, this series is between fantastic adaptation and great series, but the quality of the story and sub-plots and the characters and the phenomenal animation and character design make the series an extremely enjoying one, and one that I am happy to have invested myself in.
It is undoubtedly comic-accurate, in the most important aspect of any story: the characters. Although Tony Stark comes off initially as a full-blown impression of what Robert Downey Jr and the Marvel Cinematic Universe have achieved, he is very much his own character and very much stands on his own two feet. The best example of this is the indomitable season one finale, where even comic readers found ourselves surprised and thrilled and cheering for our heroes in a way that few other shows have achieved.
The animation quality is top-notch and more than enough to rival the legendary DC Comics series (of which I am a big admirer). It is fantastic. It is very very grounded in relatable reality in way that many DC animations are lacking, yet it, dare I say, manages to enhance the iconic work of Jack 'The King' Kirby, with his unforgettable, distinct style and a equally strong colouring. The achievement of the animation here makes the cartoons' subsequent decline, in shows such as Avengers Assemble which was frankly at best a compliment to the MCU for toddlers, all the more painful.
The stories, as I have said, have managed to capture a great deal of the essence of the comics. They remain true to the characters, and rarely rush a narrative. Characters are mostly placed well and serve a clear function in the plot. With the library of storylines at their fingertips, my hat is off to the writers. They have, in my opinion, not only chosen the right plots to adapt, merge and hint at, but they have also paced and directed the flow of the series very successfully. While some pacing issues and jarring gaps were cause of a great deal of pain to me, it was because of how invested I was in the story and the characters that made my pain as severe as it was.
The series finale feels rather soon, with many many awesome introductions and short stories leading up to it. It feels rushed, yet undeniably extremely entertaining. They manage to come up with new solutions to problems that have been solved so many times over in comics.
Ultimately, this series is between fantastic adaptation and great series, but the quality of the story and sub-plots and the characters and the phenomenal animation and character design make the series an extremely enjoying one, and one that I am happy to have invested myself in.
Paddington
(2014)
Genius. Wonderful. A new film.
19 March 2019
I find myself wondering as I process this film, as to whether or not I would ever have achieved the level of genius required to decide that such a film as Paddington was needing to be made. The filmmakers behind Paddington have nothing less than my respect and thanks, for this film is gold gifted to an audience who was unable to have asked for it in the first place.
The film was surprising, to say the least. The amount of inspiration this film is mind-boggling, in the perfect execution of gags, in the tone and dignified manner in which the film carries itself, yet without the slightest hint of pride it remains, at its heart, about each of our hearts.
The film joins an elite group of films who have endeavoured to discover and master filmmaking that speaks our heart's language in its purest form. The heart leaps for joy as you enjoy the film, and the conscious mind follows suit, in a manner so natural that you find your brain working harder than you would have expected, without a neuron breaking a sweat.
Paddington was by all counts an excellent movie that successfully follows filmmakers like Pixar in showing us our own hearts, while refusing to sacrifice the wonderful British heritage that the film so beautifully retains in all its glory. The film feels like Wes Anderson on board Thomas the Train having dinner with John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter.
A very beautiful film that makes one happy in a way that made me stop and wonder where and when such happiness disappeared from my life. The word "happy" seems to reappear in a dark, gloomy, confused world that seems to not have entirely realised that it had left in the first place.
The film was surprising, to say the least. The amount of inspiration this film is mind-boggling, in the perfect execution of gags, in the tone and dignified manner in which the film carries itself, yet without the slightest hint of pride it remains, at its heart, about each of our hearts.
The film joins an elite group of films who have endeavoured to discover and master filmmaking that speaks our heart's language in its purest form. The heart leaps for joy as you enjoy the film, and the conscious mind follows suit, in a manner so natural that you find your brain working harder than you would have expected, without a neuron breaking a sweat.
Paddington was by all counts an excellent movie that successfully follows filmmakers like Pixar in showing us our own hearts, while refusing to sacrifice the wonderful British heritage that the film so beautifully retains in all its glory. The film feels like Wes Anderson on board Thomas the Train having dinner with John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter.
A very beautiful film that makes one happy in a way that made me stop and wonder where and when such happiness disappeared from my life. The word "happy" seems to reappear in a dark, gloomy, confused world that seems to not have entirely realised that it had left in the first place.
Paddington 2
(2017)
Beyond all considerable definitions of a perfect film.
19 March 2019
In a rather unusual turn of events, this sequel manages to both seamlessly further the direction and development of its characters and themes from the first film, while being an entirely new and original movie.
With the first film ending as satisfactory as it was, it seemed rather unnecessary to me to pursue a sequel, yet the return of the talent from the first film left me positively thrilled at the prospect of something topping the experience I had with Paddington. I could not have been more happy to discover that Paddington 2 not only more than fulfills everything one could ask for in a sequel, but that the filmmakers do indeed have more amazing stories to tell, and more amazing ways to tell them.
The entire film has so beautifully redefined the word 'HAPPY', in a time and generation so in need of such penetrations of indisputable joy. Paddington 2 delivers a quirky, thrilling, comedic, yet extremely mature and wise look at life as it rather should be.
The Paddington movies look for, and model for us, the best in us. And gosh darn it if Mr Brown didn't put it perfectly: "Paddington looks for the best in each of us, and somehow, he finds it."
All in all, Paddington 2 is a movie we never could have had the wisdom or imaginative capability to ask for, yet, Thank God, we have been graciously given.
There are no clear words I have in my power to express what exactly it is about this film that makes it the most perfect film I have ever beheld, to come even close to adequately express its genius would be to do in depth studies of each scene, of each conversation. And finding the time to do such a study, for a student, is quite frankly next to impossible. But if there's one thing that Paddington 2 has showed me, it's that the facade that we call maturity is often a bunch of no-good reasons we have for settling for imperfection. While the film definitely does not preach naivety, in reality, why not? Why can't we push for peace in a turbulent world without us diluting peace with our ideas of what an achievable peace is?
If God were to give us what we asked for overnight, would we be quite disappointed that what we asked for was less than perfect? Well if we would only dare to ask for perfection, I have no doubt that Paddington would rank very high in the pile of perfect gifts our heavenly gift-giver would so gladly bestow upon our undeserving souls. Paddington 2 is glimpse at a perfect reality that we must NEVER lose sight of for the sake of a mask of maturity that can easily be turned into a blindfold of misplaced distrust. Don't let hurts rob you of the glimpse that each of us has of perfection, so beautifully captured in the motion picture that is Paddington 2.
God bless. He certainly does. This film is proof of it.
With the first film ending as satisfactory as it was, it seemed rather unnecessary to me to pursue a sequel, yet the return of the talent from the first film left me positively thrilled at the prospect of something topping the experience I had with Paddington. I could not have been more happy to discover that Paddington 2 not only more than fulfills everything one could ask for in a sequel, but that the filmmakers do indeed have more amazing stories to tell, and more amazing ways to tell them.
The entire film has so beautifully redefined the word 'HAPPY', in a time and generation so in need of such penetrations of indisputable joy. Paddington 2 delivers a quirky, thrilling, comedic, yet extremely mature and wise look at life as it rather should be.
The Paddington movies look for, and model for us, the best in us. And gosh darn it if Mr Brown didn't put it perfectly: "Paddington looks for the best in each of us, and somehow, he finds it."
All in all, Paddington 2 is a movie we never could have had the wisdom or imaginative capability to ask for, yet, Thank God, we have been graciously given.
There are no clear words I have in my power to express what exactly it is about this film that makes it the most perfect film I have ever beheld, to come even close to adequately express its genius would be to do in depth studies of each scene, of each conversation. And finding the time to do such a study, for a student, is quite frankly next to impossible. But if there's one thing that Paddington 2 has showed me, it's that the facade that we call maturity is often a bunch of no-good reasons we have for settling for imperfection. While the film definitely does not preach naivety, in reality, why not? Why can't we push for peace in a turbulent world without us diluting peace with our ideas of what an achievable peace is?
If God were to give us what we asked for overnight, would we be quite disappointed that what we asked for was less than perfect? Well if we would only dare to ask for perfection, I have no doubt that Paddington would rank very high in the pile of perfect gifts our heavenly gift-giver would so gladly bestow upon our undeserving souls. Paddington 2 is glimpse at a perfect reality that we must NEVER lose sight of for the sake of a mask of maturity that can easily be turned into a blindfold of misplaced distrust. Don't let hurts rob you of the glimpse that each of us has of perfection, so beautifully captured in the motion picture that is Paddington 2.
God bless. He certainly does. This film is proof of it.
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