Disney Has Left Me Frozen With Joy

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Disney’s 53rd animated featureFrozen is a tour de force of wonder that produces one of the most enjoyable times you will have in a movie theater. The stunning visuals and wonderful songs consume your imagination. Everything about this film got better and better as it progressed. This is a musical, so if you can get past that, prepare for the winter winds to blow you away to an epic adventure!

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The Resurrection of Darth Vader

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Not much is known about what J.J. Abrams has planned for the next Star Wars film. Rumors are circulating, but those are even few and far between. This is a good sign that everyone in the creative process is on the same page in keeping things quiet. I have a theory about one major thing that will occur in Episode VII. Darth Vader will not only be in the movie, but he will be a major part of the story.

I have absolutely nothing to back this up with. My gut tells me that Disney really wants him in the film. It would be an instant cash grab to introduce the Sith lord to a new generation of fans. Besides, everything in the Star Wars universe revolves around Darth Vader, and finding a smooth and plausible explanation for his resurrection is the key ingredient in making this work.

My imagination is running wild with all sorts of ideas on how this could be accomplished. Maybe the Ewoks are really Sith lords, and they put Luke Skywalker under some sort of force hypnosis and snatched Vader’s body before he lit the fire? Click here to check out some of my other ideas at Forces of Geek.com

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Review

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The movie theater has become my second home, with many great films throughout the year. My wife is a Hunger Games fanatic, and we enjoyed an early screening of Catching Fire. I went into the first film having read the book, and my experience was bogged down as a result by comparing what occurred in the two mediums. The choice was simple this time: don’t touch the book, and it paid huge dividends.

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Man of Steel Review

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It is hard for me not to be romantic when talking about Superman. He was the first comic book I ever read, the first action figure I ever owned, and often times, I’ve felt like a strange visitor from another planet. Superman inspires me like no other because he is the ultimate clutch player that comes through when things are at their worst. Needless to say, I had been eagerly anticipating the release of Man of Steel for over a year now, and I finally got to see it on opening night; and it is an epic film that captures who Superman needed to be in 2013.

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The Khan of Star Trek Into Darkness

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I thoroughly enjoyed Star Trek Into Darkness from beginning to end and left the theater wanting more. The cast did a much better job of fulfilling their roles this time around. The relationship between Kirk and Spock is the vehicle that drives the story on its plotted course. They trust each other with their lives, but they still have some kinks to work out, which is fun to watch unfold but frustrating at the same time, especially from Spock’s perspective.

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Iron Man 3 Review

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Big man in a suit of armorTake that away — what are you?” Captain America

Emotionally shaken from the events in The Avengers, Tony Stark struggles to find meaning in his life. Meanwhile, the sins of the past come back to haunt Tony even further as he arrogantly shunned the harbinger of his doom, scientist Aldrich Killian, played by Guy Pearce, fourteen years earlier.

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G.I. Joe: Retaliation Movie Review

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I got to see The Rock’s new movie, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and I have got to say it was pretty decent. If you grew up screaming “Yo Joe,” you will have your likes and dislikes about the film.

We pick up where the 2009 movie left off as the Joes, under the command of Duke, are ambushed and all but wiped out by order of the Zartan under the guise of the President of the United States. Roadblock, Lady Jaye, and Flint are the only survivors, and they put a plan in action to stop Cobra’s sinister plot as the fate of mankind hangs in the balance.

The movie was scheduled to be released in June 2012, but the studio pushed the date back to convert it to 3-D. It was also reported that the film tested poorly and that the main source of criticism stemmed from the fact that Duke, played by Channing Tatum, was killed off so quickly. 

The majority of the original cast was not brought back for this film, which was designed to give the franchise a fresh coat of paint instead of going into reboot mode. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. Several subplots were embedded throughout the film. Some work, but some don’t, as more time should have been spent on character development.

Adrianne Palicki was sensational as Lady Jaye, D.J. Controna was useless as Flint and Ray Stevenson was picture-perfect as Firefly, Cobra’s deadly saboteur. Enough about these jabronies. What you really want to know is, did the WWE Champion bring it? The answer is absolutely yes. Rock and Palicki were the only ones who felt comfortable and natural in their roles as Joes.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation is a fun enough movie that sometimes gets in its own way. While Retaliation scores higher marks than its silver screen predecessor, it lacks the gravitas that made the cartoon a pop culture staple.

Don’t go into the movie expecting a carefully crafted story. It’s an action flick that just so happens to have the name G.I Joe plastered on it. Expecting absolute greatness out of any film will never live up to such an elevated expectation. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the explosive ride.

New High Score For Wreck-It-Ralph

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Wreck-it-Ralph is an adorable winner that all gamers and moviegoers can be proud of. It made me wish the arcade was still a cool place to hang out. The colorful and heartwarming tale revolves around Ralph’s journey to become the hero of the day instead of the story’s villain.

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The Dark Knight Rises Review

Another comic book film is in the books as Christopher Nolan’s trilogy spectacularly comes full circle. Whoever decides to work on this franchise next definitely has their work cut out for them. The story picks up eight years after the events of The Dark Knight. Gotham City relishes its peace, and Bruce Wayne lives as a recluse in Wayne Manor. He is older, with gray streaks in his hair, and gets around with a walking cane’s support.

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Movie Review – The Amazing Spider-Man

One IMAX midnight release and 18 hours later, The Amazing Spider-Man movie left me thinking, meh. It didn’t wow me at all, and I was waiting 136 minutes for it to do so. This was an uninspired retelling of an origin story that we saw done ten years ago. Continue reading “Movie Review – The Amazing Spider-Man”