Movie Review: Inception

Inception is one of those movies that you have to see to really get what everyone means when they say "Dude, you have to see it!! Using that statement I guess you could say this entire review is obsolete. I still encourage you to read it anyway, because you love me. Anyway, lets get back to the review.

The movie centers around a man named "Cobb". Cobb is what they call an extractor. Basically what Cobb does is he enters peoples minds via dreams to extract information from their heads. He is very good at doing this. The best, actually. Cobb also has some problems that go along with this talent. One problem is, is that he lost almost everything he ever had doing this (i.e. the ability to see his family). But, he discovers a way to get it all back. His way back is called "Inception." What is this Inception I speak of? Well, it is going into someones mind and planting an idea, rather than taking one. Of course when they get there everything goes crazy and things aren't what we expected.
There are a lot of things this film does right. I don't think I will mention all of them, because there are a lot of things to mention. But, I shall mention some.
First off, the acting is solid. I wasnt really a Dicaprio fan until I saw him in Shutter Island. Now I cant get enough of the guy. He does a wonderful job playing the troubled protagonist. He adds a certain level of mystery to the role. Overall, he ends up being likable and you want him to get back to his family. Juno's Ellen Paige plays a young apprentice of Cobb's. Her character is smart and resourceful. Not to mention a little clever. Paige pulls this off well. Joseph-Gordon Levitt plays Cobb's partner in crime Arthur, who really doesn't say much. This kind of character is perfect for Levitt. The character has that same melancholy, "semi-depressed but happy at the same time" thing going for him that he had in 500 Days of Summer.

The storyline of Inception is rather confusing. It will jump far ahead of you waiting to catch up, so be ready. This film is one that you will need to see again. Not to fully understand it per se but to see things you may have not seen before. It is much easier to solve a puzzle one you have all the pieces. This movie seems to know something you don't know, and has a lot more going on than you think it does. As I mentioned earlier, this film stays several steps ahead of you. You will not be able to guess the ending, so the climax of this film is intense.

The action scenes and CGI are also very cool. Even though this thing has basically everything that is standard to today's action films (chase scenes, gunfights) they make them engaging and interesting. I'm not saying that scenes like these are bad, but to some people they can get old. They aren't in this one. You will be rooting (and worrying) for the hero's all the way through. The plot, characters, and action stay fresh all the way through.

As for the CGI, it complements the story unlike some films we have seen. Nolan doesn't add too many effects, but just enough in my opinion. They really add an extra effect of "coolness" on to this film. One of my favorite sequences in the movie is the zero gravity battle sequence in the hotel.

Overall, Inception is a very smart action film. It is cleverly done, and it will have you thinking even after it is over. The acting is great, the action exciting, and the plot complicated (in a good way). If you want to see something completely original, see this film. I assure you that you will want experience "Inception" more than once.
5/5 Stars

The Star Wars Retrospective: Episode I

When it comes to Star Wars, I guess you could say I am a bit of a fanboy. I have hundreds of action figures and other memorabilia, and I was a member of the offical fan club for about six years. I knew I was getting ripped off when I recieved a letter in the mail that read
"There is a disturbance in the force, your subscription has run out! I then knew it was time for a chage in the balance of my force. har har har...

Anyway, I am at my Grandparents house for a week. For whatever reason, they happen to own all six of the Star Wars movies on DVD. Plus they have a very large television. And surround sound. Yes. So guess what Im doing all week? Thats right; super Star Wars marathon extravaganza! As I watch each of the films, I have decided to do kind of a retrospective review thingy on each one. I wont give them an offical rating as much as I will discuss them and leave it open for talk in the comments. I watched Episode I first, so I shall write about that one. Anyway, here goes.

There are alot of things I could say about Episdoe I. I could say that the acting seems terribly forced by Anikan Skywalker. I could say Jar Jar Binks is the most annoying thing to ever exist. Ever. I could say that every time I see Mace Window now I think he looks better with a Jerhi Curl like in Pulp Fiction than he does bald. I could say all of these things and be correct. I guess what Im trying to say is...you can say a lot about this movie. Love it or hate it, it is...different. I really dont want to take a definate side here, but out of all the films this has to be the "worst". That being said I do not entirely hate the film, as I mentioned earlier I am in fact a fanboy; so I kind of like all the films. There are several issues with this movie. One being the acting and the other being the CGI. The acting is rather stale at parts and its like, 90% CGI. Wow. Take that Avatar. While it does have its mishaps, I still enjoy watching it. Ray Park does a pretty good job with stunts as Darth Maul. I will give him that. And Liam Nesson does a fair job as Qui Gon Jinn,a fairly pointless character but a good one to have around. The lightsaber battles are pretty cool, to say the least. The thing that gets me the most is how out of character Anikan Skywalker is. I just felt he should have been more angry than he was. He is like that in later prequel films, and I would have like to seen a little bit of it here. He is rather chipper for a man to later kill hundreds. Luckily we see a more angry Anikan in the other two prequels. But, it is intresting to learn where all of these people come from. It is also fun to see all the cameos like Jabba The Hutt that appear in the film.

I guess all that Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace is, is a filler film. It is neccessary to the plot but isnt as good as the old ones. It is still good, though. At the same time, maybe it isnt quite fair to compare it to the originals. They really captured lighting in a bottle with that one and it is really hard to replicate what they did there. But, it is what it is. Of course the other two prequels were somewhat better than this one. But we will get to that in another post.
Well, Im off now. Ill be back tomorrow, or something.
May the force be with all of you.
-Toad Sage

Recent happenings of The Toad Sage

Hello readers(if you are out there). Welcome to another post by The Toad Sage. I haven't come across any new media lately so I thought it would ramble for a bit in this post. Lets see...what have I been up to lately?
Well, last night I was up until 2-ish reading the complete history of the Sith. That's Star Wars stuff, for those of you who don't know. I cannot decide if that is a good thing or a bad thing. But I think its a bad thing. Its not that I care, I have pretty much embraced this whole "dork" thing and I am quite proud of it.

I really want school to start. I have been missing it! Summer is fine for the first few weeks but it kind of loses its point after a while. Oh well. It seems I must wait like everyone else.


In other news, I am filming a documentary! What is it about? Nothing, really. I have just been prancing around my school and surrounding areas filming everything I come across with my best friends. It is pretty cool. I am rather new to the whole video editing thing so it isnt turning out exactly how I want it. But I will get better. Part of the problem is the program im using. I am using the default program that came with my camera (its a Flip) and it really isnt made for movie making. I think it is made more for mashing clips. I will do what I can with it!

Im not sure what movie I will see next but stay tuned for more reviews!
This is The Toad Sage, signing off.
Stay Gold, everyone.

Transformers: War for Cybertron

Since I am in fact something of a mega-dork I have a strong passion for the Transformers. I grew up as most of my generation did playing with the toys and watching the cartoons. In 2007 Michale Bay brought us his take on the franchise which wasn't half bad. Last year he tried it again and it was...well it was very bad. Fast forward to 2010 and you see the release of Transformers: War for Cybertron, a game promising to be a solid Transformers experience. Is this game lame, or is there more than meets the eye? (yeah, Im that lame.)

The game takes place way, way before any of what we have seen with the Transformers Universe. A couple million years, in fact. The war between the Autobots and the Decepticons is in full swing, and things aren't looking so good for the Autobots. The
Decepticon leader Megatron has tons of new followers ready to do his bidding and the brave Autobot leader Zeta Prime has fallen in battle. So, its time for our hero Optimus Prime to step up and save the day. The game contains two campaigns; an Autobot campaign and a Decepticon campaign. Each has their own individual story and is quite lengthy. While there isnt a whole lot wrong with the story itself, I could have liked to have seen a richer story line. The game kind of presents itself how it is and events unfold before your eyes. While this isnt bad, I am sure they could have done a little better with it.

The gameplay is top notch using the Unreal Engine that powered games such as Gears of War. War for Cybertron is essentially a 3rd person shooter. It is what it is and it does it well. Expect tons of action and a TON of explosions. The combat is very, very fast paced and can get very confusing at times, so be ready for almost anything. Your character can carry two weapons at a time and has a melee attack that can be accessed by the right stick. The left stick is used for transformations which are very, very cool and slick. Transformation from robot to vehicle in combat has never been so awesome. Yet another thing they have done right this time around.

The graphics in the game are good. Not perfect though. There are some issues with the screen rippling when the camera is panning, but then again that might just be my TV. The amount of lag is next to none. This is amazing considering all of the hectic action that is happening on screen. One aspect that really stood out to me is the look of the Transformers and their world. All of the bots are extremely classic. They are a mix of "generation 1" and Michale Bay's new take on them. Luckily we get more "generation 1" in the mix so the hardcore fans will be pleased. All of the voice acting in the game is very well don with the original Optimus Prime, Peter Cullen, reprising his role.

In short, Transformers: War for Cybertron is a big love letter to the fans. It has all of the look and feel that IS Transformers. Hopefully we see a sequel where are of the small bumps are smoothed out. While it isn't perfect, this really is the Transformers game that we have been waiting for.
I give it a 9/10.

E3 2010: The good, the bad, and the 'are you serious?'

Hello again all of you. There is a lot I could have written about E3, but I decided to write about what each of the big three (sony, microsoft and nintendo) had to offer. Enjoy!

Microsoft Motion Control

Microsoft shed new light on their motion based controls they call “Kinect.” It is kind of like the Wii, but without the controller. When it was first announced, it looked pretty cool. People seemed to receive it well and excitement was buzzing. Then they showed us a demo. While you will have to watch some of the videos for yourself I will say that they are horrible. The Kinect does not look fun to play…at all.

A prime example is “Kinect Adventures.” The demo we saw for this game was river rafting. If you looked on the screen you see two animated characters racing down a river in a raft. No problems with that. The actual human participation was the issue. If you looked at the people all you saw was two women leaning to the right and leaning to the left pretending to have fun. Oh, and I forgot that they would occasionally hop when they wanted to jump their raft. While the game does encourage participation and does this well, it is just not that exciting. It doesn’t look like the kind of thing that will keep someone playing.

Another game was “Kintect Sports” where the player commands a mighty running back running down a foot ball field. Now, you don’t really even run. Or steer the football player. All you do is perform correct movement to dodge the defense (jump, duck ect…) and that’s it. Again, not very exciting.

The real issue Kinect is facing is that the Wii has already done this and done it well. This thing is months from launch and it is performing like this? Not good. Its not like this is Microsoft’s first time they struggled at launch. Even the Xbox 360 was a failure when it came out. Consoles were breaking all over the place. So will they be able to rise out of the dust? I do not know. The only thing this technology is going to be good for in the future is more of a natural user interface when navigating menus. All of the menus are commanded by voice and touch movements. This is ingenious and probably the best part about Kinect. I am sure this type of interface will catch on in the future.

Maybe once more people get to play this thing it will end up being better than we thought. The tech it uses is nothing short of amazing. I mean, no one has done controller free gameplay before. While it sounds as if I am condemning it I will leave it open to the possibility of it being fun. I really, really want Microsoft to prove me wrong with this one because what we have seen so far isn’t so great. In short: Tech= awesome. Game play and functionality= not awesome.

Sony Motion Control

Sony also announced a motion control system. The “Playstaion Move” is taking more of a Ninento Wii approach with a controller. This one looks much better. Not only does it look more enjoyable, it is an all around better product. I guess you could say it is the Wii, but with real games. The games they are coming out with aren’t just “Playstation Move Sports” or “Playstation Move Adventure” they are normal games, albeit with motion controls. That means we will see shooters, platformers and the like. This is brilliant, because that is mainly what their audience plays. They saw their audience, and they acted. Microsoft should have done that.

They also announced that some already existing games for the PS3 will have a software update that will allow Move compatibility. While this is awesome, I am not sure that motion capability will make some of these games worth giving a second look. The move controller will be priced at $50 with some of the other accessories being slightly over priced. If the Move is as awesome as it looks, then price really shouldn’t be a problem. They also announced 3D capability that is coming to the PS3 system. The great thing about this is that all they will need to do is send out a software update. The Playstaion 3 system already has 3D capability.

Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo got off to a real rocky start with their presentations. They couldn’t even get the Wiimote to work during one of their demonstrations. Nice.

Then they showcased the “Nintendo 3DS” and people stopped laughing and were captivated. Essentially what the 3DS is, is a Nintendo DS system that is entirely 3D. You don’t even need any kind of glasses. Now, everyone was a skeptic, even me. Then they busted out this baby and let people try it. The reviews have almost all been full of “this thing is amazing”, and “wow, it really works.”

I am not alone in saying I will surely be buying one of these. Usually anything can impress the casual gamer. It takes a pot of gold and a rainbow to even make a hardcore gamer smile a little bit. But this is making them act like a bunch of giddy school girls. I am excited to see if it is really as good as everyone is saying.

It isn’t only the handheld itself that is stirring excitement, but the game library. A good set of games is going to be released with this thing. And another thing: the graphics are stunning. They took it to a whole new level of visuals with this one.

My favorite thing about Nintendo has to be how humble and quiet they are for this. Microsoft has been talking about their little motion project for quite a while now. The amount of hype was almost as much as the total letdown gamers received. Not a whole lot was known about the 3DS until they busted it out at E3. They had a trump card and they used it at the perfect time: game, set, match. Now we are just going to have to wait for the release to see if this thing catches on.

Summary

Out of all the companies, I have to say that Nintendo stole the show by far. If you haven’t noticed, Nintendo has become something of trend setter in the gaming world as if late: first motion controls with the Wii, now 3D on a handheld. Not to mention the monopoly they have on the handheld market with the DS. While the other game makers presented good technology Nintendo already has their ideas simplified and ready to ship. Well done Nintendo, well done.

There's a snake in my boot!!- - -for the last time.

Now I know our friend Brandon Prows already covered this one on his blog, but I really wanted to write about this. So here we go! On to the review!


Well folks, it’s finally here. Toy Story 3. It has been a very long wait for all of us; especially those of us who grew up with Woody and Buzz and saw them as comrades. Pixar realizes this and they made their film accordingly. Now I could write about this film for hours, but I will keep it short.

In the third installment, Woody and the gang are at the end of their rope. What do I mean? I mean Andy is off to college. For the toys that means they will most likely get thrown away and neglected. Then the toys discover something magical; donation. After some wacky misadventures, the toys end up and Sunnyside Day Care Center. When they arrive, everything seems awesome. There are tons of children and day spas and everything a toy could dream of having. Only Woody is skeptical; and rightly so. I won’t go into detail but let’s just say everything and everyone are not what they seem.

This film does a lot of things well, but what they did well the most was make this movie with heart. Yes it is indeed animated and yes it is indeed about toys but that doesn’t stop Pixar. They recognize that most of their audience is in their teens and early twenties; they grew up with this stuff. They knew the fans expected nothing more than a movie full of heart and meaning. After all, we really do care about these characters; and so does Pixar. The animation in the film is top notch, and it is very funny. There are jokes that kids will appreciate, and there are jokes that the older folk will appreciate. It really is a movie for everyone.
I would advise you to bring some tissues because the finale of this film is horribly sad. While touching and heartfelt it is very sad. You will cry (or get very close) I promise you this.
Overall, Toy Story 3 is a real masterpiece. You will laugh, and you will sure as heck cry. The movie’s animation is beautiful and everything is what we have come to expect form Pixar. They did a good job on this one, and they did not let the fans down. It is the perfect ending to the perfect saga about a boy and his favorite toys. Pixar really gave us the sendoff we wanted and needed. Well done Pixar, well done.
5/5

E3 2010

Well, I have to say I am happy with this year's E3. There was tons of new tech showcased, but I have to say Nintendo really stole the show with their 3DS. Everyone that has tried it says it is simply amazing. I am really looking forward to trying it out. We also saw some new footage for Gears of War 3 which looks great.
We got TONS of new trailers which were pretty awesome. Anyway, kind of a short post I know. I might post a longer E3 feedback post which I already wrote for my online magazine. We shall see.
Good night all!