Monsters vs Aliens Review

Pixar usually wins for animated movies. They have a great story, great characters, and great humor. Dreamworks usually falls short though. And thats why I was worried about Monsters vs Aliens.

I think this movie's main goal is humor, but it doesn't always work. I guess it might appeal more to little kids, but thats what great about Pixar: Great for everyone. There are funny parts, especially Stephen Colbert as the president, but a lot of the time Monsters vs Aliens falls flat on its face.

My biggest problem is the characters. B.O.B. is the only decent main character really. The others are flat out annoying, especially the main character (Ginormica). I don't think the movie is doing its job very well if you really don't like the main character at all.

The acting is done well about 50% of the time. Like I said, Colbert as the president was awesome, but the person who played Ginormica was not. The actor for B.O.B. was good, but the missing link was not. So it kind of turns into an uneven mess when it comes to acting. And when the movie tries to add heart, again its a cheesy mess that just doesn't work.

The visuals in Monsters vs Aliens are nothing special, especially compared to the other animated films that came out this year. Compared to 9 and Pixar's Up, this looks like something from Nickelodeon. It's not really that big of an issue, but it does add up with the other negative aspects.

Lastly, I was just completely bored the entire movie. There wasn't enough jokes to keep my attention, and that is not good for a comedy. It tries to be an action movie at the same time, but its just not.

So, Monsters vs Aliens is a complete mess. It does have funny parts, and B.O.B. is awesome. But really it just a family movie that not everyone in the family will enjoy. I fact, besides some clever pop-culture jokes, there isn't anything here for anyone above age 8.

C+

Smallville 9-6 "Crossfire" Review

Clark catches a bullet. Great slow-motion in this scene.

Lois on Good Morning Metropolis

Ever since season 4, fans have been dying for some Clois (Clark/Lois). Most of us are sick of the Lana crap the show has been teasing us with pretty much until this season. Finally we get some true Clois this episode, but is it really done right?

In this episode, Lois auditions for "Good Morning Metropolis" with Clark's help. But, even though it was only Lois auditioning, they said it had to be Clark and Lois together, or as the producer says "A package deal". Yes, this is one of those awkward funny episodes that make you want to scream and laugh at the same time.

While it is lighter on action, it still is pretty cool with the Zod/Tess storyline and the Speedy/Green Arrow storyline. I won't give anything away about Zod and Tess, but I will say that Speedy is Green Arrow's new side kick. It sounds cheesy but its actually pretty cool.

And of course the highlight of this episode is the kiss at the end. Now I'm not going to get into detail because, I mean, come on, I'm a teenage boy. But if you are so glad that Lana is gone then you must watch and enjoy.

This episode has everything. Good action, good humor, and good Clois. And by the way, you can watch all the newest Smallville on cw.com, so if you don't have the CW channel, you can watch this fantastic episode there. Just watch it. Its a good one.

Which Smallville Villain are you?

I was Lex Luther! Wow I'm really bored.

Which Smallville Villain Are You?

More on Smallville. Created by BuddyTV

Great New Avatar Trailer! Guess what? It actually tells what its about this time!

Smallville on PS3

The sad thing is that these aren't real. My favorite is the top one btw.

Great New Smallville Promotional Picture

We better see some flying this season! (click to enlarge)

Two New Shows I'm looking forward to ("V", Human Target)

Smallville 9-5 "Roulette" Review

Last weeks Smallville pretty much starred the Green Arrow instead of Clark, and this week is the same. I'm going to write a shorter review for this one because this is mainly just closing up the Green Arrow story line the last few episodes have been about.

The episode starts pretty cool. Theres some pretty good acting and some great action. Like I said, the star is Oliver Queen (Green Arrow's dual identity) and him finding whats truly important in his life. He almost purposely killed himself last episode, and he had burned his Green Arrow costume the episode before (the zombie one, still trying to forget it). So its good to see that he's a hero again.

So, the episode was good. It doesn't top the first two from this season, but finally that the Green Arrow is done taking the spotlight, the show can focus more on Zod, Lois's visions from the future, and Toyman's mission to recreate Metallo.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Review

Graphics: The graphics in this game are actually a disappointment. The character models are dedent, but that doesn't cut it for a brand new PS3 game. Although, I do have to say its a huge improvement from the first. Plus, they got rid of all the cheesy old costumes, so thats good. 8/10

Sound: Spider-Man is the only character that has a terrible voice actor, but the rest are actually pretty good. Music is a little higher than expected but doesn't distract from the game. 8.5/10

Story: The story is based on the "Marvel Civil War" storyline, where the Marvel characters actually fight. Good story points, but it is kinda weird how heroes would fight each other. 8.5/10

Gameplay: The game is very similar to the first one, the newest change is the fusion attacks. very character can combine attacks with another hero on your team. These are devastating and just plain flippin awesome. This will be the main reason you would buy the game. Aside from that, there are plenty of characters to play and unlock, and the RPG system (while watered down a bit form the first game) really makes this exciting. 9.5/10

Multiplayer: Some great co-op and online play.

Overall: If you liked the first one, this one is basically ten times better. Fusion attacks are incredible and fun, the story is decent, and there are tons of playable characters. And if you can get over Spider-Man's voiceover and "okay" graphics, you should definitely buy this game now.

8.5/10

My Birthday List (Hopefully)

Since I'm asking for a $150 Best Buy gift card, plus I'm getting 20 from my grandpa and 30 just from that week's allowance here's what I'll buy:

Special Edition Smallville Season 8 49.99

Smallville Season 7 45.99

Uncharted 2 (If i can convince my parents, which is probably about a 10% chance) 59.99

9 Review

I saw 9 about a week ago, and for some reason I forgot to review it. 9 is the newest Tim Burton animated film (his last two were the Corpse Bride and Nightmare Before Christmas, both of which are up there with UP for best animated movies of all time in my opinion). Tim Burton is an amazing director, and he always has a great art style and twisted story to his movies. 9 is no exception.

Like I said, Tim Burton is big on making the movie look dark and evil, even when its animated. And the first thing that comes to 9 is its incredible visuals. 9 is actually based on a short film (about 10 minutes long, you can watch it on youtube if you want) that one some awards. The visuals in this one are similar to the original short film version, but of course with Tim Burton helping out, it only gets better.

In 9, Elijah Wood plays 9, the ninth of the little sock-puppet type guys that are there to save the world from destruction. Each of the 9 characters have their own personality, which are a part of the creator (too hard to explain here, just watch the movie). Elijah Wood really just plays pretty much the same character as Frodo. The new guy who's supposed to save the world (or middle earth in the lord of the rings). He does his job well, as do the other actors.

Many critics commented that the story was a little to familiar. I do suppose that it is similar to Lord of the Rings in the ways I said before, but 9 is about as creative as it gets. Anyone who said that 9 copied any movie is crazy, because I'm pretty sure there hasn't been a movie about sock-puppet things saving the world before. I actually love the post-apocalyptic story, in a way that there is no hope for humanity, just for these little creatures. It almost gives you the feeling of despair and hope at the same time, which is quite original.

If you've looked at the length of 9, you will have noticed that it is a short movie. It almost seems like a TV special, running at 78 minutes long (not even an hour and a half). And it really does feel short. But 9 doesn't need to be long to get it's story and message across. Some may actually find it relieving that it isn't too long. I don't think I could watch a whole 3 hours of 9 (or 3 1/2 in the Lord of the Rings).

As you've probably noticed, I've referenced Lord of the Rings a lot. Basically, 9 is LotR except sock puppets instead of hobbits and the its the world at stake instead of middle earth. So with 9 you're getting incredible visuals, great voice talent, and a great story. If length is an issue, than wait for it to come out on dVD. But don't wait too long, because 9 is one of those movies where you definitely don't want to miss it.

A-

Smallville Episode 9-4 "Echo" Review

After that extreme disappointment last week, anything without zombies would be a great episode. This episode does not disappoint, but it does not live up to the first two episodes.

In this episode, Jor-El (Clarks bio-father) temporarily gives Clark the power to hear people's thoughts. This is where it gets cheesy. I really don't think Lois is thinking, "Wow that Clark is a hottie!". Or at least not in those words. They didn't do the thought-hearing part in this episode well, which is slightly disappointing. But what it does do well is having a great ending and building up a creepy villain that is sure to come in more episodes.

Toyman, a really creepy and almost Joker-like guy is the villain. He is obsessed with toys, and putting bombs into him. The opening scene with the hostages is really cool. Toyman's arch-nemesis is Oliver Queen, who had framed him for murdering Lex Luther (yeah I'm still pretty mad that Lex Luther is dead, although the director said he will be returning in future episodes). This builds up some cool backstory against the two. After this episode, Oliver Queen actually seemed like a character with heart, and they did it in a way that wasn't cheesy.

This episode had great action and a great villain. Some minor issues can be overlooked by the fact that this episode didn't have zombies. That makes this a good episode of Smallville. Its worth the 40 minutes to watch the TiVo recording if you haven't watched the episode yet. Check it out.

Darkseid Appearing

Whoops, apparently this picture was fake...

17 Again Review

For some reason I just don't like Zac Effron. Maybe its his show-off-ness, maybe its that he thinks he's so cool, or maybe because he is actually a talented actor/basketball player/musician and I'm jealous. Whatever the reason, I don't like him. Until now. Shockingly Zac Effron is funny in this, and he plays the part well. Big Step up from High School Musical.

17 Again is about a soon-to-be-divorced dad who is always mad about something and blames his soon-to-be-not-his-wife wife. Obviously, this is why they are getting divorced. Anyway, the dad meets a "strange" janitor and soon the magical creepy guy turns the dad back to 17 years old until he can "fulfill his destiny" or something. He isn't told what he has to do though, so a lot of the film is trying figure out how to be back to normal.

So, basically most of the movie is like Freaky Friday (actually its a little too much like Freaky Friday) where a dad is stuck in a kids body. Of course, like Freaky Friday, there is tons of pop culture jokes that actually I enjoyed a lot. The movie has a good heartwarming ending and really ends well.

So what's wrong with 17 Again? Well, if you think its one of those clean family movies, you're wrong. 17 Again has some pretty crude jokes, and they are frequent enough to notice them. Also, the move is not for everyone. Of course there isn't going to be any action. But even for a comedy, not everyone is going to like it. Your basically paying to watch Matthew Perry (actor for the old guy) in Zac Effron's body. You decide whether you want to see it or not.

With 17 Again, you pretty much know what your getting. Freaky Friday but with only one character. The pop culture jokes are hilarious, and the movie is just flat-out fun to watch. Don't expect School-of-Rock funny, but know this is not a High School Musical 4.

B+

Smallville Episode 9-3 "Rabid" Review

The first time I watched Smallville, I thought Cool, Superman without tights. Now that its season 9, I think, wow, Superman is like the Dark Knight now. No, Superman is better than the Dark Knight now. Smallville has learned how to make Superman cool. Thats what I love about Smallville.

Season 9 just keeps getting better. That is, until the worst episode ever was on last night. Smallville is not a horror show, so don't make it one. Whoever's idea it was to have zombies in Smallville was not thinking straight. Last night Smallville was gory, bloody, scary, and not fun at all to watch.

I really wish they would have not done zombies. Maybe like evil kryptonians or even a massive amount of freak-of-the-weeks, but not zombies. Come on.

Next weeks Smallville looks really good. I'm actually looking forward to it. Its supposed ot have Kryptonite bombs, which is enough to make me want to watch it. I'm desperate at this point for a good Smallville episode, cuz I really don't know what that was last night.

Fat Princess PS3 Review

Fat Princess is similar to Marvel vs Capcom 2 in the way that to play it you have to download it. This means you can't buy it at Wal-Mart or anything--you have to add money to your Playstation account to download it (Fat Princess is $15). Anyway, now for the review:

Graphics: Graphics have never been known to be good on downloadable games, but Fat Princess is an exception. It's cel-shaded and cartoon/story book-like, so the graphics really fit. Everything is great visually in Fat Princess. 9/10

Sound: Great voice acting (some British narrator who is hilarious.) Sound effects are funny, music is good for the game, and everything is well put together in terms of sound. 9/10

Story: This is the funniest game I have ever played. Its about two princesses who get lost in the woods and find cake. They love it so much that they eat it and get fat. Although the gameplay is almost entirely different than the story, I really like it. It makes Fat Princess what it is. 8.5/10

Gameplay: Think of it as a cartoon version of Lord of the Rings Conquest with better modes and more characters. There is the warrior, mage, archer, worker, and priest, all with their own unique abilities. Mage and archer have ranged attacks, priest can heal teammates and take away health from enemies, warriors are self explanatory, and worker can cut down trees to upgrade the other characters. Everything is even and has a good upgrade system.

The game's main mode is basically capture the flag, but instead with princesses. So, to make it harder for the other team to carry your princess to their base, you wanna feed her cake to make her fat. I'm actually not joking, thats really what you do. There is also other modes like deathmatch and soccer, but since they don't involve making princesses fat I don't enjoy them as much. 9/10

Multiplayer: Really fun online battles, I just jumped right in and I didn't feel like any of the players were much better than me (the equality of the different characters makes this fun).

Overall: Fat Princess is a great, fun, hilarious game. It doesn't have splitscreen, and not much content, but you're paying $15 for a full-priced quality game. Its funny, fun, and cheap. Highly recommend. Its better than Lord of the Rings Conquest, and its about $25 cheaper. 8.9/10

Smallville Episode 9-2 Metallo Review

Smallville has evolved into what I like to call "Dark Knight for Superman." In case you haven't seen the first episode of this season, Clark has an official costume now for his dual identity, which looks like something from the Matrix. This season is a lot darker, which is a change from season 1's comic-bookish freak-of-the-week (fans called smallville this in the first season when there was a different villain every week) feel. I think this is the best season of Smallville so far, and it better be if this is the last season (which many people have been speculating.)

This episode reminds me of freak-of-the-week actually, and surprisingly enough, I really enjoyed it. The story follows John Corben, a new reporter at the Daily Planet that appeared in the first episode. He has a grudge against the red-blue blur (Superman's widely known nick-name, he hasn't officially been named Superman yet) for not saving his sister (which of course is not Clark's fault).

He gets hit by a bus (this episode has a very brutal 5-10 minutes in the first half, so just to warn you) and wakes up in a laboratory. He looks at his heart, which weirdly resembles Tony Stark's but green and made of kryptonite. He now is living off kryptonite, which is not too great for our protagonist. Metallo (John Corben) sets out to kill the red-blue blur. I'm not going to spoil anything, but let me just say that the battle at the end is very climatic and just fricken awesome.

Pretty much all I can say is that Smallville has evolved into something amazing. Its now movie quality, and definitely could be my favorite movie if they ever made one (I'm hoping they have the Smallville show finale an actual movie, but I'm probably just dreaming...). I'm serious, if you have't checked out Smallville season 9, thats terrible. Absolutely ridiculous. Watch this now. Its worth the 3 bucks on iTunes by far.