The Amazing Spider-Man – Movie Review

Is it a new superhero classic or a mediocre hodgepodge of genre tropes? Hit the jump to find out.

A mere five years after the conclusion of Sam Raimi’s (mostly) well received Spider-Man trilogy, 20th Century Fox has given us a reboot of everyone’s favorite angst-driven web slinger. When it comes to reboots, Hollywood has a spotty record to say the least. Last year’s Rise of The Planet of The Apes, was a smashing success, while 2008’s The Incredible Hulk was deemed a mediocre attempt. Going into The Amazing Spider-Man, I hoped for the best and looked forward to the nitty-gritty rendition of this iconic character that director Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) had promised. To my chagrin, one of Marvel’s best contributions to the pantheon of comic fandom has been reduced to an androgynous regurgitation of the Twilight series. It was a devastating site to behold.

Prometheus (2012) – Movie Review

Click here to check out our Alien Retrospective series

By Kevin Pallotti

Did it live up to expectations or confuse the hell out of everybody?

What can I possibly say about Ridley Scott that hasn’t already been said? He’s a directorial juggernaut. His influence on modern cinema is well documented to say the least. Between Alien and Blade Runner, Scott forged the mold for highly stylized yet substantive science-fiction cinema. Thirty-three years after the release of Alien, Ridley Scott has returned to the very galaxy from which this film emerged to give us, Prometheus. For months leading up to its release, critics have lambasted Scott for refusing to extrapolate on the film’s true origin. Is it a prequel to the original Alien, or, is it a beast all its own? After seeing Prometheus the night of its release, I can say with total confidence, that I have no idea where this film ultimately lands. Should you elect to continue reading, I’ll be happy to elucidate the details of this matter. Onward!

The Alien Series: A Retrospective or Xenomorphapalooza – Part III – Alien 3 (1992)

Welcome to the inaugural entry of my brand new retrospective series; “The Alien Series: A Retrospective” or “Xenomorphapalooza”. With the upcoming release of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look back at Alien series for a nostalgic romp. I hope you’ll join me through an analytic look at one of the premier science fiction film series of all time. 

Click here to check out the rest of the Retrospective Series

By Kevin Pallotti

Critical Review

Children, gather around and I’ll tell you a tale about a colossal disappointment that was doomed to fail. Ok, I’ll stop rhyming now. Lord knows Alien 3 didn’t give me anything to be cheery about. Directed by David Fincher, Alien 3 is to The Alien series as infected toe nails are to restaurant appetizers. In a daring attempt to turn the series on its ear, the rather misguided executives at 20th Century Fox attempted to turn this beloved franchise into a complex human drama featuring the classic xenomorph creature. The primary issue with this, nobody wants it. In spite of this consensus, the creators of Alien 3 pushed forward and resiliently weathered an onslaught of production issues to give us a steaming pile of discarded baby alien flesh.

The Alien Series: A Retrospective or Xenomorphapalooza – Part II – Aliens (1986)

Welcome to the inaugural entry of my brand new retrospective series; “The Alien Series: A Retrospective” or “Xenomorphapalooza”. With the upcoming release of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look back at Alien series for a nostalgic romp. I hope you’ll join me through an analytic look at one of the premier science fiction film series of all time. 

Click here for the entire retrospective series

By Kevin Pallotti

Critical Review

When it comes to Hollywood film franchises, sequels are often inferior to whatever preceded them. James Cameron’s Aliens is one of those rare films that openly challenges this rule of thumb. Depending on who you ask, Aliens is either far more entertaining than Alien, or, it’s a movie that takes a more high octane approach to the franchise in order to create a crowd pleasing blockbuster. After recently watching Aliens for the fifth time in my life, I’ve come to the conclusion that it is a completely different animal from its predecessor. Rather than frightening you to get your heart pounding, it opts to excite with a relentless onslaught of action, violence, and gut wrenching suspense.

Kevin’s Cavalcade of Cinema – Vol. 4 – The Avengers (2012)

Freshly uploaded to YouTube, I am proud to present the fourth installment of Kevin’s Cavalcade of Cinema – The Avengers (2012). This is my first crack at a brand new video format that features, green screen, exclusively high definition video, and compositing. Basically, this is the most complicated video review I’ve attempted. It’s not perfect, but, it’s a solid start to a brand new style. I hope you all enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed making it.

The Alien Series: A Retrospective or Xenomorphapalooza – Part I – Alien (1979)

Welcome to the inaugural entry of my brand new retrospective series; “The Alien Series: A Retrospective” or “Xenomorphapalooza”. With the upcoming release of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look back at Alien series for a nostalgic romp. I hope you’ll join me through an analytic look at one of the premier science fiction film series of all time. 

By Kevin Pallotti

Critical Review

Believe it or not, Science-fiction films weren’t always built exclusively with CG graphics and green screen. They were made with tangible sets, props, and costumes. They didn’t always look clean and crisp like 2009’s Star Trek or the Star Wars Prequels of the 2000s. They used to appear dirty, jagged, and hazardous to anyone who might turn the wrong corner. Ridley Scott’s Alien, released in 1979, provided a prime example of this film type. Alien takes place in a not too distant future where a massive corporation, known as Weyland-Yutani, enables deep space travel to distant and mysterious planets that may or may not contain unfathomable horrors with more than one mouth. While returning home from a mining expedition, a Weyland-Yutani vessel, known as the Nostromo, intercepts what appears to be a distress call. Befuddled yet overcome with curiosity (thanks in no small part to the ship’s medical officer), the crew of the Nostromo ventures on to the planet’s surface where they uncover an extraterrestrial nightmare that inevitably terrorizes them in ways that shock and astonish any audience member who is willing to witness the film’s tale unfold.

Our Special Avengers Episode is Finally Here!!!

In this special “Avengers Themed” episode, we get all giddy about our upcoming Avengers experience. We’re aware the film’s premier has come and gone, but, technical issues wouldn’t let us release this until now. Think of this as time in a bottle. Also, other stuff happens.

Click Here for TWT’s Special Avengers Episode

Click here to download this episode on iTunes!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Avengers – Movie Review

By Kevin Pallotti

Since the inception of the modern comic book era, we’ll say this took place at the time Blade and the first X-Men film were released, Hollywood has taken a copious amount of joy in creating stories that deconstructed the stereotypical elements of the comic book superhero. Granted, it’s been done to remarkably potent effect at times. The aforementioned works along with Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise certainly fit that criteria. But, has the modern cinematic rendition of the superhero truly been constructed yet? This is a question that writer/director/cult following accumulator, Joss Whedon (Buffy, Firefly), has brought up to multiple reporters during his promotional tour for The Avengers.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!!

Certainly, Whedon, among others, would argue that in this modern era of super hero flicks, it’s difficult to find comic adaptations that bring their characters to life in ways that purely translate their characters to the big screen with a sense of affection and dare I say…fun. With the premier of Marvel’s six year undertaking, The Avengers, Mr. Whedon has accomplished that rare feat and joined the ranks of Christopher Nolan and Richard Donner (Superman) as a craftsman of an iconic comic book film.

Marvel’s The Avengers: A Retrospective – Part 5 – Captain America: The First Avenger

Welcome to Marvel’s The Avengers: A Retrospective. From now until the release of Marvel’s fanatically anticipated Avengers film, we will be completing a movie review series of every Marvel film up to now. We hope you’ll join us through this look back at the evolution of the Marvel cinematic universe. If nothing else, you’ll have another place to fuel your burning desire for this summer’s multi-hero conglomerate. I’m sure you don’t need it, but here it is anyway.

Click here to check out all of the previous entries from Marvel’s The Avengers: A Retrospective

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

By Kevin Pallotti

Critical Review

Go get 'em Cap!

Welcome Back to Marvel’s The Avengers: Retrospective. At last, we’ve arrived at our final film, Captain America: The First Avenger. In the storied history of The Avengers, many characters have come and gone. The team practically functions as a revolving door depending on who’s writing the comic. But there have always been three heroes who answered the call more than any other Marvel character. These three are known to Avengers fans as The Knight, The Warrior, and The Soldier. You may know them better as Iron Man, Thor, and the subject of this film, Captain America.

Marvel Studios created an iconic comic book film in Iron Man. Shortly after that, they pulled off the impossible and translated Thor onto the big screen. Just two months after Thor, Marvel was tasked with sticking the landing on Captain America: The First Avenger. If they failed, all of the previously built up momentum leading up to The Avengers would come to a screeching halt and one of Marvel’s best characters would be short-changed in his first “real” major motion picture. If they succeeded, we’d enter into The Avengers with copious amounts of enthusiasm and the soldier would be cemented as the man to lead earth’s mightiest heroes. Gratefully, the cast and crew of Captain America proved to be up to the task.

Marvel’s The Avengers: A Retrospective – Part 4 – Thor

Welcome to Marvel’s The Avengers: A Retrospective. From now until the release of Marvel’s fanatically anticipated Avengers film, we will be completing a movie review series of every Marvel film up to now. We hope you’ll join us through this look back at the evolution of the Marvel cinematic universe. If nothing else, you’ll have another place to fuel your burning desire for this summer’s multi-hero conglomerate. I’m sure you don’t need it, but here it is anyway.

Thor (2011)

By Kevin Pallotti

Critical Review

Make no mistake, this is for real

It would have been so easy to screw Thor up. Amongst the plethora of characters from the Marvel Universe, Thor is one of the more…fantastic individuals. In a cinematic universe defined by pseudo-science, including high tech suits and genetic alterations, Thor brings an air of “the unknown”. He’s not magical, he’s an entity with powers beyond understanding. At least, that’s how the film Thor depicts its title character. As I said, it would have been easy to completely mishandle Thor and the other characters from this comic title. This is why the film proves to be an unexpected surprise. Not only is it handled competently, it’s built with a clear affection for the source material. In this sense, Thor takes a well deserved seat amongst the more enjoyable comic films ever made.