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The Raid 2: Berandal



the raid 2



the raid 2 2


images (7)





Only God Forgives





chang tree's


bangkok streets


images (6)



only god forgives forest


Tarzan and The Heart of Darkness



Two Worlds one family!

A Review of The Lego Movie






Batman and Spaceship Benny



The Seattle Space Needle in Lego form build by Yours Truly

“You had me at hello”





the notebook

The Notebook




Jerry Maguire





The Raid 2





Even he gives The Raid 2 a thumbs up.

Even he gives The Raid 2 a thumbs up.





A Review of Lone Survivor

lone survivor

Last Saturday, I saw what I would consider one of the greatest war films I have ever seen and it was completely by accident.  I went with my friends to go watch the new movie starring Joaquin Phoenix, Her, but it was sold out.  My friends and I then made a decision on the spot, with most of us loving manly action films, we naturally went with Lone Survivor.  Despite the title of the movie and the opening science giving away the end, it is a non-stop suspenseful action movie that is a worthy and fantastic dedication to our troops.  Mark Wahlberg did an excellent job producing this film and of portraying Marcus Luttrell, the survivor of Operation Red Wings.  The whole cast did a fantastic job of taking on the personas of the real flesh and blood people they are dedicating their performance to.

lone survivor

The special effects and the costume/make up department did a fantastic job as they flawlessly recreated the injuries the SEALS sustained, from trauma wounds from falling down cliff sides to bullets and shrapnel.  The several gory and agonizing scenes where completely necessary to accurately portray the reality behind the film, and to remind the audience that all of this was real.  Actual people lived through the events in the movie.  This movie was an emotional roller coaster as I laughed at the humorous scenes at the base, felt suspense in the action sequences, agony at the injury parts, and I teared up at the heart to heart, emotional sequences as well as the tribute at the very end dedicated to our troops.  Okay, I’ll admit it…I almost cried….definitely got watery eyes.  I can now add this to the list of movies that I have gotten emotional in and the list so far is BraveheartThe Notebook, and now this.  This movie is near and dear to my heart as I had an uncle that was a Marine and I am actively involved in the Wounded Warrior Project.   I felt it was a fitting and well made tribute to the story and you can tell the people behind the film really put their heart into it.  It moved the whole audience.  As soon as the movie was over, a USA chant was started in one corner of the theater and a standing ovation was given.  The movie made my group feel proud to be an American and made us even more grateful for our troops as they put their own well being on the line to protect our livelihood and liberties.  I highly recommend you watch this movie.

lone survivor 3

In addition, I would just like to provide an update on the recreational basketball league I am starting that I mentioned in my post High Flying Movies.  The league, the ABA Recreational Basketball League, is starting to take shape as we have teams signing up to play and we are starting to gain a following over Facebook and Instagram.  Our Facebook page is called ABA Recreational Basketball League and our Instagram can be followed at @ababasketball.  We are in the process of editing our and releasing our videos just as the league starts to make the players feel like it is the NBA.  We plan to make highlight reels of the teams and players while documenting the process of making the league along the way.  In addition, with All-Star Weekend coming up in mid-February, we will host an All-Star event as well.   Feel free to follow our pages and support the league, thanks!



Robocop and Frankenstein


When reading Frankenstein, I couldn’t help but notice it strikes similarity to another classic 1980’s action movie, Robocop, starring Peter Weller.  This movie is…well…about a robot cop, but is much more complicated about that.  More specifically, it is about a cop that gets in an accident and to bring him back he is the test subject of a new technology program which turns him into basically a crime fighting android.  For the younger audience out there, it is a grown up, darker version of the iconic Inspector Gadget character.    In the movie, the program responsible for the construction of Robocop is responsible for many police officers going on strike since robotic cops would put them out of work.  From this point on in the movie,the parallels between the Creature and Robocop become similar.  


Much like the Creature, Robocop is a creation that struggles finding its own identity in the world.  The Creature upon learning about his appearance and origins doesn’t quite know how he fits in to the world, besides the fact that he is an outcast, because he is the first of his kind.  Robocop, having a machine body and a programmed human head, struggles between his programming and his own human memories.  This identity crisis between crime fighting robot and the man behind the machine is what propels the plot line, making it more than just an action film.  The Creature and Robocop both have moments where they see their true selves, they see their own reflections.  However, Robocop is able to accomplish something the Creature simply couldn’t, destroy his creator.  This movie , much like The Terminator, shows society’s fear of the potential of the progress being made in computers and robots in the late 1980’s.  It is also worth noting that this movie is being remade, and the new Robocop is coming out next month in February.  It stars Joel Kinnaman as Robocop and it also features Michael Keaton and one of my favorite actors, Samuel L. Jackson.  I will be sure to post a movie review upon seeing it, but already I have one concern that I can’t shake off.  Why does the new Robocop have human hands?  Doesn’t that kind of take away from the robotic aspect of him when he faces enemies causing them to just shoot his hands?  I don’t know if that will be an issue but it was just a thought.



Frankenstein Flicks

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is not only a classic novel, but it has become the basis of a variety of movie genres, from horror to science fiction.  The story of Frankenstein, a scientist who aspires to create life and when he does his creation fumbles out of his own control, has been referenced to and remixed in works of literature, movies, and popular culture.  At the time of Mary Shelley, science was about to reach another revolution as the potentials of science weren’t quite realized to a majority of people.  It was apparent though that science could intrude upon the beliefs of religion and ethics.  Mary Shelley uses the idea of ethics and of the unknown potential of science to fuel the true horror evoked by Frankenstein.


      The story of how this novel has gotten to the level of popularity it reaches today starts with the novel itself.  The book at first got mixed reviews but over time it gained a following.  At the turn of the century, the first film adaptation of it was made by Edison Studios in 1910 as a Silent short film.  However, this would not get the reception that the Universal Studios’ version staring Boris Karloff would receive in the 1931 version.  This movie solidified and introduced the horror genre to popular culture, while also setting up a kind of archetype for horror movies at the time.  The idea of man playing God and the consequences that follow captivated the minds of audiences everywhere.  This and the rest of the Frankenstein movies by Universal built upon this idea.  These movies helped to build the idea of the mad scientist in the laboratory whose own creation spins out of his own control.  Actually, Frankenstein brought the idea of one’s own creation being more than what the creator could handle, which has been an important staple in the science fiction world.

terminator 3

The ideas presented above have influenced a variety of famous movies, from action to science fiction.  For example, The Terminator franchise builds upon the idea that man won’t be able to control its own advancements when it comes to robotics and computers.  The idea that machines will rise against man creating a skull filled post-apocalyptic world terrified audiences upon being released since at the time in the 1980’s advancements were being made in computers.  In Jurassic Park, man tries to play God again by bringing back dinosaurs through modern genetics in order to create an amusement park.  In the words of Jeff Goldblum, “Uh…uh…Life finds a way.”  Yes, yes it does, as then the dinosaurs escape and terrorize the island.  Once again, playing on the potential fears of the time, as in the 1990’s advancements in genetics and cloning brought new scientific ethics to the field.  These classic movies, just like in the times of Mary Shelley, is a response to potential fears at the time.







To be or not to be…

I recently watched one of my favorite musical turned movies, Les Miserables, with my other favorite being The Phantom of the Opera.  Upon watching Les Miserables, I noticed there were two scenes very similar to that of Hamlet, which I happen to be reading as of this moment.  These two works both have the motifs of revenge and serious contemplation.  Hamlet is bent on revenge for his father’s death through killing Claudius, while the revenge in Les Miserables comes from how Javert is obsessed with catching Jean Valjean.  However, the scenes of serious contemplation really intrigue me.

There are two scenes in the beginning of the movie that are central to setting up how the audience views Jean Valjean. The first one is immediately after the police come to the church where Jean Valjean is staying and are about to arrest him for stealing but the priest clears his name.  Realizing how the priest saved him from going back to jail, he has a soliloquy where he contemplates what he is doing with his life and his character.  Now, it isn’t of the same subject matter of whether he should commit suicide or not, but this scene is important as it leads to the all important question of the movie in the next song.  The next more comparable scene is the scene where Jean Valjean has heard how an innocent man will be tried for being mistaken to be him, and he must make a decision: take action or don’t.  If he takes action he risks his life, but if he doesn’t he has the guilt of a man’s life over him.  He asks the question that will continue to echo through the play/movie: Who am I?

Toward’s the end of the movie, the scene I am about to discuss takes place, and note if you haven’t seen the movie/play I am warning you this is a spoiler.  Now, if you recall the end of the movie has the scene where Javert has failed to catch Jean Valjean ater he just watches him walk away from the sewer exit.  The next scene the audience finds Javert on top of a bridge walking on the edge.  He then continues to sing the song titled “Javert’s Suicide” where he decides what to do with his life after failing at his really own purpose for living, justice.  He believes he has failed  and contemplates whether to live or die.  This is very similar to Hamlet in the “To be or not to be..” soliloquy as he too contemplates suicide.  The only difference between the two is that Javert takes his own life and Hamlet instead takes a different action, deciding to carry out revenge.