Movie Reviews with halochief996: End of 2012 Review

Hey whats up.  I know its been a while since I made another blog, but lets just say I've been busy with school.  Those finals man.  Plus I also partied and played a lot of video games especially Call of Duty Black Ops 2.  Also on top of that I was in another country after my finals were done.  China and Taiwan to be exact, and I was having a blast and having fun.  Plus for some reason China blocks Wordpress.   Anyway at the end of the year I always like to look back and see what were the best video games(At the old site,Gametrailers.com, where I did most of my blogs , I would usually have a list of top 10 video games since most of the people reading were gamers), and the best movies.    So keeping with the tradition I have some last minute reviews,  the top 10 video games and movies of 2012, and of coarse the lovely Asian Stars of 2012.  That's a lot to cover but its the end of 2012.  And heck we made it.  The world is not ending yet.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Peter Jackson created this great trilogy called the Lord of the Rings.  I consider these movies some of the best films ever made, and I enjoy all of them.  But quite frankly, Peter Jackson really needs to get out of Lord of the Rings and move on to other films.  The story is basically like the book by Tolkien.  Taking place before Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo is remembering his great adventure and when he first met Gandalf (remember that book that Bilbo gave to Frodo in Rivendell in the Fellowship of the Ring).  Basically he is invited by Gandalf and a group of dwarves on an quest.  The dwarves used to have a great city and cave full of gold and riches.  And it was taken from them by an evil dragon.  Its up to them, Gandalf, and Bilbo to save the day and reclaim what is theirs.  The story is what you expect.  A prologue to the greatest fantasy trilogy every created.  A good story for any Lord of the Rings fan.  The action and special effects are great but not as mind-boggling as the main films.  Acting is good also.  Overall as a Lord of the Rings fan, I can appreciate this movie.  I am impressed.  Jackson knows how to capture the fantasy world of Lord of the Rings, but I hope after he is done with this film, that he move on to other film genres and start making films not pertaining to Lord of the Rings.

9 out of 10

Jack Reacher

Tom Cruise has had a pretty interesting year.  Breaking up with Holmes and now being cast into many interesting action and sci-fi films.  Well at least he is moving on, and it looks like he will be successful.  I first heard about this film after he just broke up with his love.  From first sight it looks like a typical cop doing his own thing and solving crimes.  Basically this film is like a 2 hour episode of CSI, NCIS, or whatever crime investigation show you watch.  The story is pretty much like an episode from a criminal investigation show.  There is brutal killing of several innocent civilians.  And a man who even though has a troubled past, is blamed for it.  The accused man gets Jack Reacher involved.  Its up to Jack to solve the case and reveal the conspiracy.  I like analysis stories.  Heck that's a reason why I am a fan of NCIS, The Mentalist, and Bones.  However I think the acting is average.  The other actors don't seem to really you know care about this film.  Only person who looks like he really cares is Tom Cruise.  But whatever Tom Cruise kicks ass and takes names.  Overall a good action film with plenty of mystery and intrigue.  If you like the criminal investigation shows like NCIS, CSI, The Mentalist, Bones, or anything else, you should check this film out.

8 out of 10     

The next couple of films, they were out a long time ago.  But I saw them on the airplane and plus they are from 2012, so might as well.

Magic Mike

Different, funny, and a story that goes to places we don't usually see or talk about.  Breaks boundaries-8.7 out of 10

Hit and Run

Actually pretty funny.  Bradley Cooper is a funny bad guy.  Story though a little predictable-7.6 out of 10

Premium Rush

Didn't know this movie existed until I browsed through all the movies on the plane.  A very interesting story with lots of suspense and awesome bike riding.  If you haven't seen it, you need to -8.5 out of 10

Hotel Transylvania

Cool cartoon, but wasn't really impressed with the story.  I've seen better animations, but at least there was one Twilight joke.  Good kid's film-6.8 out of 10

Frankenweenie

Dear Tim Burton.  Please do more of these films. Please-8.6 out of 10

Pitch Perfect

Lets just say I was really bored on the plane.  I have one of these groups at my school and I don't need a movie to tell me all about them.  Good singing though.  Moral stuff though is hit or miss-

6 out o f 10

Now lets look back at 2012.  I decided to make my top 10 list of video games separate from this blog.  It will be on another blog plost.  Here is the link:

http://moviereviewswithhalochief996.blogspot.com/2012/12/movie-reviews-with-halochief996-top-10.html

Also please note for all of these lists, these are MY OPINIONS.  So please no hate or argument comments.  Plus the list is based off of only the movies I have reviewed on this blog, and the games I've played.

Anyway lets take look at the Asian Stars of 2012:

Kim So-Yeon (김소연, 金素妍)

Maria Ozawa

Sora Aoi (蒼井そら Aoi Sora)

Im Ji Hye 임지혜

Park Si Hyun 박시현

Choi Yu Jung 최유정

Eugene Kim (김유진, 金楢真)

Park Soo Kyung 박수경

Han Ga-In (한가인, 韩佳人)

Jeon Ji-Hyun (전지현, 全智賢)

Lee Mi Hyeon 이미현

Ada Liu Yan

Ai Shang Zhen

Lee Hyo-Ri (이효리, 李孝利)

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

Angela ‘Angelababy’ Yeung Wing

Angela Chang

Evelyn Lin

洪詩涵 / Hong Shi Han

Angel Liu Yu Xin

Cai Huang Ru

Jin Mei Xin 金美辛

Mini Yu Zhi Qing 于芷晴

I don't like to pick favorites.  In fact in my opinion, all of them look beautiful.  So I leave it up to you to decide which one is hottest of 2012.

Now onto:

 TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2012

10. Ted

Hilarious film!!!!!

9. The Campaign

Will Ferrel enough said.  If only the 2012 elections were like this movie.  Dang it would be funny and awesome.

8. 21 Jump Street

Tatum really needs to do more comedy films because he was hilarious in this one

7. The Raid Redemption

Best KUNG FU action movie I've seen in a long time.

6. Argo

Great story and excellent acting.  Kept me on the edge of my seat.  Argo F*** yourself.  Great line

5. Expendables 2

Get a group of big action stars, lots of guns, and lots of explosions and you have one hell of an action movie.

4. Looper

Great story and concept.  I hope it can get an Oscar.

3. 007 Skyfall

One of the best James Bond films ever made.

2. The Avengers

All the great Marvel films have been leading up to this awesome and spectacular film.  Plenty of awesome special effects and Iron Man's trolling to keep me watching this film over and over.

1. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

The epic conclusion to Nolan's Batman trilogy.  Really this guy has done an amazing job with this superhero.  I am impressed.  Its sad that there will be no more future Batman films made by him, but its hard to say whether or not the next Batman films will even surpass the quality and standard set in Nolan's Batman films.  The Dark Knight Rises concludes Nolan's trilogy really well, and is my number one movie of 2012.

Honorable Mentions:

Act of Valor

End of Watch

The Bourne Legacy

Magic Mike

The Hobbit

Prometheus
The Hunger Games

Well before I wrap this blog up, I would like to say thanks to all the people who have supported me this year including my parents and my friends.  Also thank you Red Flava for helping me out with the Asian Stars.  I would also like to say thanks for an awesome last night, to this awesome girl, named Nita Wu, I met at a club called Luxy in Taiwan.  Also I want to thank all of you, the readers and the supporters.

Thank you all for reading.  I hoped you enjoy this blog.  And have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!

Movie Reviews with halochief996: The Dark Knight Rises

Well I think I'm back in the game.  OK yeah I've been busy, but I still have time to watch movies, but it still takes a lot of time for me to write a blog post.  Anyway well with Gametrailers.com having a little bit of a problem getting their (insert S word) together.  I guess I will be posting my blogs on wordpress and blogger.  So you guys get my reviews first.  Anyway enough talking and me raging about Gametrailers, lets move on.

The Dark Knight Rises

The first Batman movie was great.  Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Gary Oldman were awesome.  The second movie was even greater with Heath Ledger as the Joker (RIP Heath Ledger, you gave an awesome performance in your last film).  Yes Christopher Nolan has done an amazing job rebooting the Batman movies.  He has made the batman movies feel more real and seem more realistic than the average superhero films about people with amazing powers.  The batman trilogy has been a more dark and realistic look into heroes, villains, and crime.  And now the last film in Nolan's epic Batman trilogy is here.  And it ends with a bang.

Plot: The story takes place after the events of the second film.  Harvey Dent is dead but his death cleaned up the streets of Gotham.  All the criminals in Gotham are in jail, and Batman is nothing more than a criminal that killed the white knight.  Only Gordon and the Batman know the truth, but as requested by the Batman, Gordon has kept the truth inside him, in order to make Gotham a better place and destroy the organized crime that plagued the city.  Bruce Wayne of coarse is a recluse and has not really moved on with his life after Rachel's death in the second film.  However a storm is coming.  A new villain named Bane (Tom Hardy) has emerged.  And he is Gotham's Reckoning.  Its up to Batman to stop him and save Gotham with the help of Commissioner Gordon, Officer Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and Catwoman (Anne Hathaway).  A well told and executed story.  The movie does a good job pacing it.  Along with that, the third film makes good references to the previous 2 films.  So for those who haven't seen the first 2 films in a while, or haven't seen them at all, the third film does a good job keeping everybody informed and not confused.  A well written realistic hero story.

Genre: Its an action film with suspense.  And it delivers really well in this department.  The fight scenes are very well choreographed.  And the environments are well designed and really realistically built.  The stunts especially the airplane scene in the beginning of the film are really amazing and cool.  And the special effects look really realistic.  From Batman's flying vehicle to the big explosion on the football field (as shown in the trailer).  A lot of effort has been put into this film, and it definitely shows in the final product.  Now the acting is top notch.  Heath Ledger as the Joker was amazing.  Tom Hardy as Bane, is also amazing.  Instead of a more psychopathic funny man, Bane is more of a strong, physical, evil badass.  He can kill in one strike, and in some cases stronger than Batman himself.  Tom Hardy gives an amazing performance.  He sounds and acts evil.  Probably doesn't sound as psychopathic as the joker, but he is a solid villain for Batman.  And I'm glad that they chose Bane as the villain.  Also good performances by Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Micahel Caine, Morgan Freeman, and all others.  There a re a lot of people from that other movie Nolan did, Inception.  Maybe not Oscar Worthy, but close enough.  The action, acting, and special effects really compliment the story, and tell it in a realistic and breathtaking way.  Be prepared for many surprises up to the ending.

Overall: The best film I've seen this summer.  A great ending to Nolan's Batman Trilogy.  Like The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises is a a well written, a well produced, and a well executed film that demands our attention.  Sure it won't beat the box office sales of the Avengers, and yeah its not in 3D (thank god I hate 3D), but its still a good film.  Christopher Nolan has done an amazing job with this trilogy.  Its sad that this is his last batman film, and that he will not be making any future batman films, but one thing for certain, he has done an amazing job rebooting the Batman films.  If you haven't seen the first 2 films, go see them, and then after that go watch this epic conclusion.  Forget about matinee, you got to go see this film.

10 out of 10

I also want to recognize all the families in Aurora, Colorado who were involved in the movie theatre shooting on the premier of the Dark Knight Rises.   My thoughts and payers go out to all of you.

Now the next part is probably going to be some quick reviews of some movies that I have yet to write a blog post about.  You probably have seen them already and there are tons of reviews about them.  But here there are just for you viewing pleasure.  Just skip ahead to hot asian stars of the week if you don't want to read these short reviews.

Ted

I'm going to be honest, I'm not a big fan of family nor Seth MacFarlane who plays the annoying idiotic father, Peter Griffin.  But when I saw the trailer and posters for his film, Ted.  I kind of shoved my prejudice away.  And you know what I actually now kind of like Seth MacFarlane a little bit more.  Still don't like Family Guy though (eh except for a few episodes which were actually clever and actually funny).  The story is basically a coming of age story.  A guy named John (played by Mark Wahlburg) has had a teddy bear named Ted (Seth MacFarlane) as his best friend for most of his life.  Now that he's older though, John is trying to move on with his life, especially with his hot girlfriend, Lori (Mila Kunis), but Ted is kind of bringing him down.  Can John be an adult finally or will he always be that childish kid with his bear.  The story is there just because its there.  Its the only way to give this movie substance, and the movie does a good job making fun of itself for that.  Like Family Guy, Ted is spouting funny jokes about everything (like Peter Griffin).  And its sometimes funny, obnoxious, and clever.  Either way I was laughing through the entire film.  Mark Wahlburg and Mila Kunis also do a fantastic job and make the movie enjoyable and funny.  Overall I had a blast with this film.  It was funny and hilarious.

9 out of 10 

The Amazing Spider Man

I don't know about you, but I am one of those people that thought that the first 3 spider man movies starring Tobey Maguire, Kristen Dunst, and James Franco, were pretty good.  Why they decided to do a reboot?  Well I know why.  But in my opinion its still a little early and possibly not necessary.  But whatever.  This spider film has a different actor playing as the amazing web slinging hero, and there is a new story and a new love interest.  Andrew Garfield is not bad.  I remember him from The Social Network, and he was pretty awesome.  As Spider Man, he is pretty cool.  Same thing with Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy (spider man's new love).  The story is pretty well written.  I mean its pretty similar to the first film with Tobey Maguire.  The villain is different, setup of story is different, but other than that its a good start for the series reboot.  I will say the pace of the story is pretty slow in some scenes and too fast in others.  Plus the 3D didn't help with the enjoyment of the film.  The action and special effects were good though.  Can't wait to see the sequel.

8 out of 10

Asian Star of the Week

So this week I decided I should do 2 Asian Stars to make up for the delays of my blogs.  So lets get started.

Angel Liu Yu Xin

Another beautiful girl from China.

Ayuki Huang Meixi

Cute Chick from China.

I've already said this before, but really, my prayers and thoughts go out to those that have suffered from the tragedy at Colorado.  And to all of you who are still debating whether or not to go see The Dark Knight Rises, please don't let this incident affect your viewing pleasure.  I hope you enjoyed this blog.  Thank you.