Saturday, December 18, 2010

Mr. A's review of........Tron Legacy


The Story
Sam Flynn has never had an easy life despite being the son of famous ENCOM CEO Kevin Flynn. After the disappearance of his father, Sam lashed out against the world and especially the people involved in his father's company.
One night after pirating ENCOM's new operating system and releasing it to the public, Sam is approached by Alan Brady, Kevin's long-time friend and co-worker. Alan reveals that he's received a page from Kevin's old office located in the now abandoned Flynn's Arcade.
Letting curiosity get the better of him, Sam ventures to the arcade and hacks into his father's computer mainframe and accidentally activates a digitizing laser which takes him into The Grid, a cyber-world populated by humanoid computer programs.
Being forced to fight for his life, Sam must defeat the omnipotent Clu, find his father, and escape this horrific place before time runs out. Can Sam do it or will he fall before Clu and his silent guard Rinzler? Welcome to the Grid...


The Review
Waiting almost 30 years for a sequel to the original Tron, I must say that this film was a bit of a let down. Not to say that it wasn't a good movie, it was absolutely fantastic for what it was, it's just that there's was so much they could have done with the movie that they didn't.
I will say that it was good to see Jeff Bridges back as both Kevin Flynn and Clu, who should technically be called Clu 2. The CG used to de-age both Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner (Alan Brady, Tron) was impressive.
The redesigns for the Lightcycles, combat uniforms, and pretty much EVERYTHING were awesome and seeing the images of programs doing disc battles in huge arenas made me feel like a kid again.
The pacing wasn't as good as it could have been and there were a few parts that seemed unnecessary (the entire scene with Castor felt sort of tacked together).
Overall though it was really fun and I'd probably go see this again.


The Verdict
Great effects and above-average acting will keep you interested, but unless you were a fan of the original Tron or you're a little kid, you might not like it.
One other piece of advice I must give you all is DO NOT SEE IT IN 3-D!!!
The portions that were actually in 3-D were good, but there wasn't enough of it to warrant you paying the extra $7 to see it. There was also the problem with the sides of the screen coming out of focus if you weren't looking right at it, but that could have just been the theater we saw it in.
Maka, Jam, Rerun (who from now on will be called Clu), and I all paid for the 3-D and we weren't impressed (which was why we kept the glasses after the movie).
If you got a free weekend and you like sci-fi/cyberpunk you should definitely catch this one. Drag your girlfriends to it!

5.5/10 in 3-D
7/10 in 2-D



Stay tuned for some old-school movie reviews from me and a possible Scott Pilgrim commentary!


Jaa mata,
Mr. A
(Executive producer, User)

Monday, December 13, 2010

The Otaku 5-0 Show: The Last Airbender Audio Commentary

Aloha everybody!

I am pleased to present to you the long-awaited audio commentary track for The Last Airbender!

Before proceeding, I must issue my customary disclaimer that despite our best efforts our commentary track may not sync up perfectly with your DVD version of the film. So please adjust either as necessary.

Now, sit back and enjoy the fruit of our labors. We hope that you have as much fun listening to this commentary as we did recording it.

Mahalo,
~Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)

Show Notes
The Last Airbender Audio Commentary

Recording Date: November 29, 2010
Total Running Time: 105 minutes

Panelists
Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)
Jupiter (Podcast Executive Producer)
Mr. A (Assistant Podcast Executive Producer)
Maka (Assistant Video Executive Producer)
Jam (Contributor-at-Large)


To better sync our commentary with your DVD version of the film, just follow the instructions below:

FIRST AND FOREMOST, download our audio commentary track to your computer or favorite mp3 player.

1) Load up your DVD, and proceed to the main menu:

Nice-looking menu. Too bad the movie sucked.

2) Move the cursor, highlighting and selecting "Scene Selections".

3) Scroll through the corresponding menu, and highlight the first scene with the cursor.

4) Play our audio commentary track, and select that scene when prompted to do so.

Enjoy!

Feedback is always accepted here at Otaku 5-0. Please send us an e-mail to us at otaku50podcast@gmail.com OR post a comment on this blog!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Mr. A's review of.....The Italian Job


So, the great Diamond Head Video is going out of business so I decided to pick up a few DVD's to keep me entertained while our hiatus is going on. Here is the first review in a line of old-school movies I picked up.

The Story
Charlie Croker isn't such a bad guy despite serving a lengthy prison sentence. He's nice, a snappy dresser, and he's got a brand new job that's sure to rake in the dough. Unfortunately this job could also send him up the river again...or home in a pine box.
Charlie's old friend and fellow thief Roger Beckermann has got a great idea; steal a four-million dollar shipment of gold that's on it's way from China to the Fiat motor company located in Turin, Italy. The plan is perfect...until Beckermann ends up dead at the hands of the Italian mafia.
Despite the risks Charlie decides that too big of a payoff to pass up and sets out to gather a crack team in order to pull off this "Italian job."
Can charlie and his rag-tag team of thieves pull this off and make the biggest theft in history or will the mob get the better of Charlie and send him back in pieces?

The Review
It's pretty much a given that if Michael Caine is in a movie it's gonna be good. Charlie is an instantly lovable character despite yelling at his inept crew for almost half of the movie. Noel Coward does a superb job as Mr. Bridger, the ominous Brit mobster who backs Charlie's plan.
The pacing is really good and gives you just enough down time in order to absorb the plot, the car chases are some of the best I've ever seen in any old film save for The French Connection, and the dialogue is hilarious.
The only down side that I could see is that the film hasn't aged very well, but better than most films from that time.

The Verdict
Solid casting, great locations, and a brilliant ending ensure a good time for all. However if you saw the remake with "Marky" Mark Wahlberg you might not enjoy it as much.
I picked this up for only five bucks and it was definitely the best five I've spent in some time. Got track this down and give it a whirl.
8/10

Stay tuned for more reviews over the next few months, along with an audio commentary or two.

Jaa mata,
Mr. A
(Executive producer, master planner)

Saturday, December 4, 2010

It Came From YouTube, Part Five

Aloha everybody!

First off, I would like to announce the results of our poll regarding Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, Part I. In a convincing victory, "Thumbs Up" ended up with the lion's share of 7 votes out of 10 overall, with 2 votes for "Thumbs Down" and a single vote for "Thumbs Sideways". Thank you very much to all those who voted, and please continue to vote in all future polls on our site!

But first, a few announcements. Even though we at The Otaku 5-0 Show are officially on our winter hiatus, that doesn't mean that we're not keeping informed about the latest entertainment news. For those who follow our Facebook page, we continue to post applicable tidbits for specific entertainment-related items that we have taken an interest in.

I am also pleased to announce that we have recently recorded an audio commentary for, "The Last Airbender" featuring myself, Jupiter, Mr. A, Maka & Jam. In an effort to stagger our post-season content, the commentary will be uploaded in the next few weeks.

But until then, let me take this opportunity to present the actually fulfill the title line of this article by presenting the latest installment of, "It Came From YouTube!"

. . . .

As you are well aware, thanks to the efforts of my colleagues Mr. A & Jam, I have recently become a fan of the seminal British TV Series, "Doctor Who." One day, while surfing YouTube, I came across this fan-made music video featuring events from the most recent series. I now submit it to you for your enjoyment.



Earlier this year, Mr. A ended up house-sitting for Jupiter while she and her family were on a trip to the Mainland. Inevitably, the rest of the Otaku 5-0 staff ended up staying in the house for varying periods of time. During that period, not only did we end up recording a lot of "Unplugged" episodes, but we also got a chance to hang out as friends. During one such gathering, we ended up in collective stitches after watching this video. Therefore, I submit this for your enjoyment.



Now, everybody has a very specific sense of humor. Different things are funny to different people, so you might not find this next video funny. You may not believe me, but what I am about to say is completely honest. After viewing this for the first time, I was laughing at my computer for a solid minute. Enjoy!



Our final video for this installment features the talents of musician/comedian Stephen Lynch, who performs a song that pretty much encompasses my life from the age of 14. Hmm... Should I be amused or worried?



. . . .

And that concludes the latest installment of, "It Came From YouTube". Feel free to send in YOUR favorite videos from cyberspace, and I'll post a follow-up article with your submissions!

See You In Cyberspace,
~Totoro (Executive Producer, The Otaku 5-0 Show)