ted

Seth MacFarlene is certainly one of those workers in animation that's very hit and miss with what he does. He's mostly known for "Family Guy," and his two other shows, "American Dad" and "The Cleveland Show." However, some seem to forget that he got his start working as a writer for Cartoon Networks' first three Cartoon Cartoons: "Dexter's Laboratory," "Cow and Chicken," and "Johnny Bravo." But whether you like his work or not, you can at least say his work is...something. And today, we're here to talk about his first feature film, "ted."

"ted" is about a young loner named John, whose never had any friends that will hang out with him. One Christmas, he gets a teddy bear and wishes he could talk to him, and on the night of a falling star, Ted comes to life and fame comes to him, but still stays with John as his best friend. Fast forward to 27 years later, and Ted's now a pot-smoking former celebrity, and John's still a kid at heart, working at a car-rental. On his four year anniversary with his girlfriend Lori, John has Ted move out and get work, all while trying to decide on if he should still be hanging out with Ted or move on in life with Lori.

Now with what I saw in the trailers, it looked pretty good, and it got me hoping that they weren't the funniest parts of the movie. Luckily, I was treated to so much more in the film, with great humor, great acting, and some great chemistry between the characters. You might think it's the same typical humor from "Family Guy," but this is something different.

Mark Wahlberg plays John, and it's one of his best performances. Since Wahlberg is a great comedic actor, he was a great choice in the film, and delivers some great dialogue. Mila Kunis was pretty good too, and her being in the movie was a bit expected, since this IS a Seth MacFarlene movie. Speaking of which, Alex Borstein and Patrick Warburton are in the movie as well. Borstein appears in the beginning of the movie as John's mother, but that's it. She doesn't appear anywhere else. Patrick Warburton plays John's co-worker, Guy, and I felt that he should have been in there more, but that's a minor gripe. It was said that Seth Green wouldn't be in the movie, mostly because he and MacFarlene aren't as friendly as they used to, so I don't know. Sam Jones, who you may remember as Flash Gordon, is in the movie playing himself, and what he does is hysterical. He was such and enjoyment to watch, and you could tell that MacFarlene was a "Flash Gordon" fan, with many references to it. However, the performance that really stands out, is Seth MacFarlene as Ted. He does the motion-capture of Ted, and his performance, timing, and everything else really does an excellent job, and at one point pulls reference to "Short Circuit 2," in a way.

Overall, "ted" is one the best comedies I've seen, as well as one of my favorite movies of the year. It's funny, it's clever, it's acted great, and it has a very unique charm to it. Was it better than "That's My Boy"? In a way, yes, because as I look back at that film, I feel that there were some other comedies that I liked better, and "ted" is one of them. Don't get me wrong, I still think "That's My Boy" was great, but I think I gave it a bit too much praise, saying it was the best comedy I've ever seen. But still, both films are great, especially since both of them have similarities with their premise, but I recommend "ted" more.

Rating: 10/10

Man on a Ledge

When it comes to the modern day action star, Sam Worthington is one of those who actually does a failry decent job. Even with films like "Avatar," and "Clash of the Titans," he's still a good actor. It just depends on the right role in the right movie. Thankfully, earlier in the year he starred in the film, "Man on a Ledge."

The film tells the story of Nick Cassidy, an ex-cop who was sent to jail after being framed for stealing the monach gem from David Englander. When he escapes, he goes to New York City and stands on a ledge of a building, which turns out to be a distraction while his brother and brother's girlfriend try to steal the monach gem from David, to prove he's innocent. What really astounds me, is that this film is more than what it seems. It's very clever at parts, leaving you on the edge of your seat, and really keeps you wondering what will happen next.

Sam Worthington as Nick Cassidy does a great job as always, and it's really good to know that he's got a good role in a good movie. He's clever, has a very well thought out plan, and it's very believable. Elizabeth Banks plays Lydia Mercer, who is the detective that is trying to reason with. I really enjoyed her performance in the film, and the way her character is structures is actually quite impressive. I also enjoyed the performances by Jamie Bell and Genesis Rodriguez, who are also both really great to watch. The chemestry between the two as well as scenes where they work off each other is quite stunning. I really hope to see both of them in the future. Ed Harris as David Englander was a bit cliche on parts, but it's done in the right way. His reactions and timing were done so perfectly, that it shows that one actor can do so much with a stereotype. Anthony Mackie as Nick's old partner Mike, and he was genuinely good, though I wished they showed he and Nick working together when he was a cop.

The heist scenes were pretty entertaining, and the dialogue was delievered pretty well. I found much about the film to be entertaining on many parts, though some scenes can be a bit pretentious, but I won't spoil them. The film was directed by Asger Leth, and this is his first film, so I can see some aspects of that. I also found it kind of shocking how he ACTUALLY had Sam Worthington on the ledge of a building, instead of green screen, so props for that.

Overall, "Man on a Ledge" is a pretty underrated film, and I think it deserves more than it got. It's entertaining, it's well thought out, it really knows what it's doing, and I found it a great film to watch. If you get the chance, check it out.

Rating: 9/10

Gone

Ever since the whole "Twilight" craze came up and about, directors where probably thinking that if they had an actress just as bland, they could get just as much money. And thus, we have Amanda Seyfried. Despite having a good start in her career with "Mean Girls," everything else went downhill for this woman, being in films like "Dear John," "Jennifer's Body," and one of the year's worst from last year, "Red Riding Hood." I've also heard word that she'll be appearing as Cosette in "Les Miserables," and after her work in "Mama Mia," I'm worried about that film, as much as I'm worried about Jonah Hill appearing in "Django Unchained." But right now, I have to worry about Seyfried's recent movie from earlier this year, "Gone."

The film tells us about Amanda Seyfried, who plays Jill Conway, a girl who was kidnapped and almost killed by a mysterious man named Jim McCoy, and is the only one who got away from him. Shortly after, he's returned but instead captures Jill's sister Molly, and now it's up to Jill to track her down in the next 12 hours or she's through, all while the police are after Jill since she has a gun with her.

Now despite this being an interesting premise, there's just so much that really brings the film down. And when I say down, I mean DOWWWWNNNN. I mean, everyone in the film was just painful to watch. The police are just some of the most unrealistic I've ever seen on film. The only one who actually has a small BIT of character is Wes Bently, YES the same guy who played the villain in the first "Ghost Rider." But even then, he's terrible since he doesn't do that much. As for Amanda Seyfried, her performance, much like "Red Riding Hood," gives a blank emotionless face throughout the movie. She didn't get me invested into the movie, and I almost fell asleep during this movie. Yeah, she's that terrible. Her backstory about her and Jim McCoy are completely stupid, because it has no structure, accomplishment, and she's a complete idiot, falling directly into his trap. She also "develops" to be as bad as Jim, because *spoiler alert, which doesn't matter anyway* she just flat out kills him. Not only that, but when her sister is found and tells the police that Jim's back, Seyfried just says that it was all in her head. Okay, I just have to ask...WHO WROTE THIS CRAP?! And as a mystery thriller, there's no suspense built, nor is there anything solved here. It turns out to be some jackass serial killer, and you aren't sucked into nothing at all, except this bullshit excuse of a movie.

That's all that I can actually say about this movie, since that's honestly all there is to it. Overall, "Gone" has a title that makes me wish this movie was in my memory. If you have any interest in watching this movie, DON'T! This film was supposedly recommended to watch on Netflix and Redbox. Well, guess what? This film isn't even worth the 50% bargain bin at the dollar store!

Rating: 1/10

The Amazing Spiderman

Spiderman. He is to Marvel the same way Batman is to DC. I had gotten invested in the character of Spidey, though not enough to read the comics, that I watched as much as I could of the animated series. To me, Spiderman is the icon of Marvel, and while it has many other characters that I got invested into, Spiderman sticks out in a good way. And when it came to films, it got me more into the character, starting with the trilogy from "Evil Dead" director, Sam Raimi, and starring Tobey Maguire.

The first film was considered by many to be a shining light to fans. It told the origins of Spiderman on how he got his powers, and showed how he started to become the hero he is. Many people loved it, others found it alright, but it was a big hit at the box office. While I do enjoy the movie, some of the dialogue and effects were a bit wonky, but I didn't let that get by me. One of the big things pointed out, was the villain of the film, the Green Goblin. Granted, Willum Defoe was pretty good, there were moments that went overboard, and that costume was a bit...silly. I mean seriously, he looked like he just came back from a Power Rangers convention. But aside from that, it was pretty good.

The second film was given much higher praise with its updates. The effects had gotten better, the dialogue was polished well, and the acting was better in terms of the main characters. Not to mention, Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus did an excellent job, which was a big improvement from the Green Goblin. And need we forget, probably one of the greatest trailer themes of all time? The fact that they got Danny Elfman to do the music for the films, is another reason why I enjoy these films, with it's music. For a while, this was considered the best of the "Spiderman" films, but not for me. It's good, but not my favorite.

Then we got "Spiderman 3," and people were thinking the series would go higher in terms of how good it would be. However, all I ever hear about this film was nitpick after nitpick after nitpick. What did people not like about this movie? Too many villains, emo Peter Parker, certain characters thrown in for no reason, little to no Venom, them killing off Venom, and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Well for me, I actually liked this film, thinking it was the best of the trilogy. And before some of you start to pester me about how it's a piece of shit, hear this. The main reason Spiderman 3 was hated, was because most of the fans wanted Venom to be in it, even though Sam Raimi didn't want to. Same thing happened with Sega when they made "Sonic '06," where fans pestered Sega to release the game earlier than what it was intended for. Yeah, I just compared "Spiderman 3" to "Sonic '06," but it's the truth. If you have anyone to blame, blame the people who pestered Sam Raimi. On some aspects, yeah, there were certain moments I can agree with, but it wasn't horrible as people said. To me, it's a guilty pleasure, and I actually thought it was better than "Spiderman 2," due to it being action packed, and actually pretty funny.

Plans were made for a "Spiderman 4," but when Sam Raimi left the project, Sony had to just cancel the project all together. In result, Sony had decided to reboot the series all together, making it in the same sense of Chris Nolan's Batman films. I was a bit off with that, especially with the teaser trailers making it look like a Twilight-clone and then more like a film adaption of the game "Mirror's Edge." Granted, I'm big on POV shots in 3D, but there's a limit. But as further trailers were released, my hopes got a little higher.

So after attending the midnight showing of this movie...I was blown away by how good this was. This was SUCH a fantastic movie! In this new film, it had so many things about it that made it so much more passionate than the other three films. It's simply amazing, hence the title, and it's a film that I had enjoyed with every second until the end of the credits. To describe the plot to you, would be just a crime for me, because I want you to see this movie.

The casting was such an enjoyment to watch on screen. Andrew Garfield as the new Peter Parker was SUCH an improvement, compared to Tobey Maguire. Despite my dislike for "The Social Network," I enjoyed his performance, and when I heard he was playing Spiderman, I bought it. His performance in this movie just kept me begging for more. He's much more realistic as the character he portrays, and when dramatic moments happen, he's brilliant. Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, I absolutely loved in the film. I've heard much skepticism about her playing Gwen Stacy, saying that she should have been Mary Jane, since she was a redhead anyway. However, after seeing her in "The Help," she's a decent blond, and this film is no exception. Her performance as the character works, and I was one of those people who was anything BUT skeptic about her. The romance between her and Peter was just excellent, and I simply got hooked into this. Rhys Ifans as Dr. Connors was a great character to watch. What really struck me about this film was that Ifans had his character portrayed in the same escence as Jeff Goldblum in "The Fly," and I praise that film for pulling omage to that film. I honestly couldn't get enough of him as Dr. Connors, because it worked so brilliantly. As the Lizard, I was actually intimidated by him, despite looking a little off. By that I mean, he had the flat face look of Voldemort, instead of a snout like in the animated series. However, I let that go, because I liked that they tried something new with it. Denis Leary in the film, was AWESOME! His character of the chief of police and Gwen's father was just brilliant. Two scenes that I loved watching him in were the dinner scene and the climax. He's just a joy to sit through, and this movie gets props for giving him much character and personality. Martin Sheen and Sally Field as Uncle Ben and Aunt May were just enjoyable to watch. I couldn't help but enjoy every bit of their relationship with Peter, and the scene of Uncle Ben's death was more believable and heart breaking. I was actually surprised to see that C. Thomas Howell, who was in the Francis Ford Coppola film "The Outsiders" and the original "The Hitcher," was in this film. I don't want to spoil what he does in the film, but let's just say he lends a helping hand to Spiderman in the third act. Not only that, but it has Stan Lee's best cameo in any of the Marvel films, and it's just hilarious!

The special effects in this movie were fantastic to watch, and the 3D is some of the best I've ever seen! This was entirely what I wanted the new Batman films to be. I wanted them to be darker, but at least have a bit of camp-value to them, and this movie does a lot of that! After 10 years since the first Raimi "Spiderman," I can definitely say I want this over them.

The film was directed by Marc Webb, who directed my all-time favorite movie, "(500) Days of Summer," and he delivered ANOTHER fantastic movie! In fact, during the film, you can see some elements of that film present in this movie, but not as much as for me to just feel like watching that movie. Granted, I still think "(500) Days" is still my favorite movie, but this came pretty damn close. Yes, I loved this movie that much.

Overall, "The Amazing Spiderman" is MORE than amazing! Now you might be wondering, do I like this better than "The Avengers"? More than you'd ever imagine! While "Avengers" was a great film, and has been built up for many movies, "Amazing Spiderman" had one film that was more than a treat! It's dramatic, it's funny, it's breathtaking, it's sad, it's scary, and is HANDS DOWN...the best film of the year! It is now competing with Tim Burton's "Batman" for my favorite comic book movie, and I'm proud to put it up that high.

Rating: 10/10

Brave

I've said beforehand, I'm a fan of the work done by Pixar. Even with some of their weakest entries, like "Cars" and "Cars 2," I still enjoy them. They've shown how great their animation has gotten over the years, from working with toys, to bugs, then monsters and fish, and it all looks excellent. I love how wonderous their animation, pacing, and characters have become, and it's easy to say they earned the title of "Cinematic Guardian."

With their newest film, "Brave," I was looking forward to it, with much anticipation. The animation was great, and I felt like Pixar was going to give us another fantastic action movie. At first, it seemed like a good movie was coming out, however later in the year I was a bit worried about the man directing the movie. Mark Andrews, whose been apart of Pixar for years, was the director and writer for the film, but he was also part of the biggest box office bomb in history, "John Carter," which made me doubt the film a bit. Basically, I thought "Brave" wouldn't be as good as I would be expecting.

However, I was totally wrong. Not only is this a good film, but it's honestly one of the best films that I had the pleasure of sitting through!

The film tells the story of the Scottish princess of the Clan DunBroch, Merida, who is a skilled archer, which doesn't seem to please her mother, Queen Elinor, who wants Merida to be acting like a lady, and follow tradition. On the day she is to be wed to one of the first born princes of the other three clans, Merida sets up an archery competition, in which she is the one who wins her own hand and gets all three bullseyes. However, Elinor becomes enraged by her daughter's act, and throws her bow into the fire, causing Merida to run off crying. Soon, Merida encounters a witch, and asks for a spell to change her mother so her fate can be changed. Unfortunately, it's not what she expected, and now Merida has to figure out how to fix things, as well as change her mother back.

What realy sets this apart from other Pixar films, is simply how you look at it. This film was advertised to be in the same story structures of “The Little Mermaid,” even to where some people could complain this film stole from that film, but it's so much more. Throughout this movie, the film has many interesting characters, fantastic visuals, and becomes a film about a mother-daughter relationship, determination, regret, and by the end: redemtion.

The characters in this were such a joy. King Fergus was a really fun character to watch, being a brute who cares about his family, and also cares about her daughter being who she wants, but is basically stamped on that by his wife. It's obvious that the queen is in charge, due to keeping control of her king. Which brings me to Queen Elinor, played by Emma Thompson. She's basically portrayed as the over-motherly character, but when you get into it, you understand why she does this. She's afraid that if tradition is too broken out, then bad things will happen, like in the legend of the Four Clans. I won't say what it is, because I want you to see the movie, but let me tell you, it's pretty good. Merida herself is very well established, due to having such a colorful personality, and being a fierce archer as well. Now due to this film being compared to “The Little Mermaid” was because of the character and plot-points of Merida and Elinor being similar to Ariel and Triton. Well, while I do agree that they are similiar, I think this film did it better than “The Little Mermaid,” mostly due to this film actually showing more of the relationship between Merida and Elinor, and the fact that Merida actually learns something from what she did. To me, that's what sets this movie apart, with the fact that it actually shows chemistry between these characters. When seeing how strong the bond between a mother and her kin can be, it can make one think about the heartbreak it will be when they're ready to leave. It's a very powerful and believable relationship that isn't very present with most films these days. I also want to say that Merida's triplet brothers were hilarious to watch. Everytime they were onscreen, they got me laughing at whatever they were doing. Plus, how they help Merida in the third act, had the best line in the entire movie. The other clans leaders and their sons were a joy to watch as well, especially when they're arriving at the kingdom at the same time.

The animation and 3D in this film was what held this gem together. It was simply brilliant, and I just kept begging for more of it. It was also told that they had to update with the the technology for this film, to get the animation right on Merida's hair. That shows a lot of hard work for filmmaking in terms of animation. Also, this was probably one of the more adult of the Pixar films. Not in terms of “Toy Story 3,” where it got darker for the audiences growing up. I'm talking about the OTHER kind. Let's just say, I think this the first time Pixar showed this much ass in any of their films...Yeah, THAT kind of adult. But I didn't let that distract me.

Overall,  "Brave" is a film that DEFINES masterpiece, and is by far one of my favorite movies of the year! It shows how much passion Pixar can have for it's films. Its story is told in a very brilliant matter, the character development is astoundingly brilliant, the pacing is just a joy to sit through, the action scenes are done fantastically, and the animation is PHENOMENALLY breathtaking! I loved this movie! I really, REALLY, loved this movie, and it's absolutely impossible to find anything that's not to enjoy about it!  If you have family with nothing to do as of the time, then ask them to see this movie with you. I HIGHLY recommend it with full force.

Rating: 10/10