TRON: Legacy (2010)

In the summer of 1982, Walt Disney Pictures released TRON. The action-adventure science fiction film, about a gifted computer soft engineer and hacker, played by a then 32 year old and future Academy Award winning actor Jeff Bridges (2009 – Best Actor, Crazy Heart), gets literally abducted into the digital world itself was a box office success, grossing $33 million in the U.S. alone. Twenty three years later, Disney announced a sequel to TRON, with Bridges reprising his role as Kevin Flynn, and in 2010, TRON: Legacy was finally released. Directed by first time director Joseph Kosinski, the film tells the story of Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund – Friday Night Lights, Four Brothers), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of missing computer software engineer Kevin Flynn (Bridges), goes looking for him but ends up being transported into the digital world where he finds himself in the same situation that his father did in the original film, and is also the same place where Kevin was being held for twenty long years. The film also stars Olivia Wilde (TV’s House) as program and adept warrior Quorra, Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon), who went and saw the first film at age twelve, as the vivacious and renowned program Castor, James Frain (TV’s The Tudors) as chief intelligence officer and Clu’s right hand program Jarvis, Beau Garrett (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer) as program siren Gem, and Bruce Boxleitner (TV’s Babylon 5) reprising his role as Kevin Flynn’s close friend and executive consultant for ENCOM International Alan Bradley. I have heard of the original film since as long as I can remember and I’ve never seen it, but when I went to see the sequel, which was in REAL 3D of course, I really enjoyed it. I loved the music that Daft Punk did for the film. After this movie was filmed at Burnaby’s Canadian Motion Picture Park Studios and in around Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in the spring of 2009 with a budget of $170 million, TRON: Legacy took the #1 spot its opening weekend when it was finally released on December 17th, 2010, with a gross of $44,026,211. With incredible visual effects and terrific electro music by Daft Punk, I make TRON: Legacy a definite must see for all movie lovers and its one of the best films I’ve seen in 2010.

The Tourist (2010)

From Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, the Academy Award winning German filmmaker for the 2007 Best Foreign Film – The Lives of Others, comes the 2010 drama-mystery-thriller, with some comedic humor, called THE TOURIST. Based on the 2005 French film Anthony Zimmer, the film tells the story of math teacher Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp), an American tourist, visiting Venice, Italy when he comes across with a beautiful but mysterious Englishwoman named Elise Ward (Angelina Jolie), who deliberately crosses his path in order to mislead those who are following her, such as a dangerous gangster and federal agents. The film also stars Paul Bettany (The Da Vinci Code) as Inspector John Acheson, Steven Berkoff (Beverly Hills Cop) as Reginald Shaw, Rufus Sewell (Dark City) as The Englishman, and Timothy Dalton (007 – The Living Daylights, License to Kill) as Chief Inspector Jones. I thought was a very entertaining movie that was also sexy, smart, and funny at the same time. Watching Angelina Jolie reminded me of Sophia Loren in some moments of the film while Johnny Depp’s performance I thought was great. He kept smiling throughout the film as I was watching it, the same way when I saw him in his last film before this in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Tom Cruise was originally gonna play the role of Frank, as did Sam Worthington. Thank god they dropped out to do other film roles instead because no one could’ve done it better the way Depp did. I’m surprised that film critics, such as Roger Ebert and Peter Travers, gave the film largely negative reviews about it. Ebert gave it two out of possible four stars and Travers gave it an F. As for me, I still give THE TOURIST a definite must see for all movie lovers and I also make it as one of the best films I’ve seen in 2010.

Recess: School's Out (2001)

Attention all movie lovers: If you were a kid who grew up the 1990’s, like me for example, and miss all your favorite shows at that time, I got one that you must’ve loved watching on ABC’s One Saturday Morning every Saturday morning, also like me for example, that made its way to the big screen in 2001, and that movie is RECESS: SCHOOL’S OUT. Based on the hit Disney animated TV Series (1997-2001) created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere, Your favorite characters: the prankster ringleader T.J. Detwiler (voiced by Andrew Lawrence), the athletic Vince LaSalle (voiced by Rickey D'Shon Collins), the tough tomboy Ashley Spinelli (voiced by Pamela Adlon), the extremely intelligent Gretchen Grundler (voiced by Ashley Johnson), the chunky and philosophical Mikey Blumberg (voiced by Jason Davis), and usually naïve army brat Gus Griswald (voiced by Courtland Mead), along with the rest of the fellow students of Third Street Elementary School : such as resident playground snitch Randall Weems, The Ashleys, the diggers Sam and Dave, the kindergartners, and King Bob, have finished their school year and are all excited about summer vacation. But trouble quickly sets in as T.J. uncovers an evil plot involving a crazy but insidious ex-teacher named Philliam Benedict (voiced by James Woods) trying to get rid of summer vacation permanently. As the Recess gang are faced with the dire threat of year-round school, the kids, along with some unexpected allies: assistant teacher/constant nemesis Miss Finster (voiced by April Winchell) and generally cold authority figure Principal Prickley (voiced by Dabney Coleman), band together in a nonstop adventure to save summer vacation for all kids worldwide. The film also features Melissa Joan Hart (TV’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch) as the voice of T.J.’s older sister Becky Detwiler, Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs from Nickelodeon’s Spongebob Squarepants) as Mr. Bald Guy, Peter MacNichol (TV’s Ally McBeal) as the voice of Benedict’s assistant Fenwick, Nicholas Turturro (TV’s N.Y.P.D. Blue) as Cop #1, legendary voice actor Tony Jay (The Hunchback of Norte Dame) as Dr. Rosenthal, and legendary entertainer Robert Goulet as Mikey’s singing voice. The music in the film features classic 60’s songs like Martha and the Vandellas’ Dancing in the Street, Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze, Steppenwolf’s Born to Be Wild, The 5th Dimension’s Let the Sunshine In, and Robert Goulet singing Green Tambourine at the end of the film. What I have to say about James Woods, being that we all know him for his work in the hit movies: ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, CASINO, GHOSTS OF MISSISSPPI, and Disney’s HERCULES; I thought he did a hilarious voiceover job as madman Benedict. Released on February 16th, 2001, the film became a box-office hit in the U.S., earning $36,706,141 domestically. However, it did not do nearly as well overseas due to poor publicity and advertising. It earned $7,754,709. However, with a total worldwide gross of $44,460,850, against the frugal $10 million budget, the film was still considered a huge success. As RECESS is one of the greatest animated shows I ever watched since ages nine to thirteen, I consider RECESS: SCHOOL’S OUT one of the best animated movies I’ve ever seen. Since today’s kids all saw TOY STORY 3, why don’t they watch yet another 90’s era animated show and movie all together.