Sunday, September 30, 2012

Tears of Steel (2012): What ?????

Critic 1


My eye caught an note about this short movie. And short it was. Movie is an "open source" movie much like the Iron Sky but of course much less ambitious. Movie is meant as a Blender showcase.  The computer generated effects are nice but not as cool as in Iron Sky. There is not really much to say about the plot or acting. Other than some of the actors were so obviously amateurs and the plot was... Well... Nonexistent. It left me with this "What was this?" feeling. Suitable only for really fast dates...

Critic 2


A short film free to watch. It lasts only less than 15 minutes and pictures future world inhabited by humans and living machines. It was a bit hard to understand what was happening in the movie, since there were quite many incidents at the same time. Special effects were very well made for the noncommercial movie.

Maybe not fair for a short movie.
Judgement Star: Maybe not fair for a short movie but life is tough...
   

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Star Trek - The Wrath of Khan (DVD): Genetically superior.

Critic 1

The ruthless run trough the Star Trek box continues... After seeing The Motion Picture expectations were not exactly high. But I was wrong. As the common wisdom within the www states this could be one of the best Star Treks (I'm not saying it yet...). William Shatner's role was not as prominent so his lack of acting skills did not bother that much. Again the special effects were extremely nice taken into account that the production year is 1982. And this time not so acidic. The plot was nice though some proper background setting would have been nice. It's kind of gruel to leave a bunch of people on a foreign planet... As before a spectacular movie and your date has to be also.   

Critic 2

Star Trek saga continues in a much more tightly written movie than the first one was. Old enemies of former captain Kirk rises from the past. This movie was perhaps not so spectacular than the previous one, but story flowed smoother. In this movie the space was not the great wilderness with wonders rather than a place where an adventure happened. The movie includes some personal details of the main characters past and heartbreaking moments.

Star trek the wrath of khan is a ok movie
The Judgement star: The Wrath of Khan is a OK movie.

 


Book: Leviathan Wakes - James S. A. Corey

Milton Friedman. Look what you have done...

A refreshing look to the not-so-distant future. The spaceships do not just mysteriously overcome the laws of physics and the level of technology in general is comprehensible to the average reader. The plot and the story flows much alike in the Song of Ice and Fire. No surprise here. James S. A. Corey is an alias for one of GRRM's assistants. But this is not just a good thing. There are only few characters and the storytelling does not fit a such small bunch of people. The world described in the book is just like I would see the status of humanity after about 200 years. The predatory capitalism of Milton Friedman has ran it's course and the true power comes with the money. Read the book and see what happens. A very good book despite the small storytelling annoyances. Waiting to read the next episode... 
 
- Critic #1

Leave it in trash - Take it as a gift  - Buy it from a discount - Buy a Hardcover - For the prime spot on the shelf


Ghost Rider: Will waste the time of an innocent soul.

Critic 1

My head was about to burst into a flames when I watched this. Nicolas Cage had this one face acting thing going on (an example here) and the plot was made for teenagers who love the Belsebubian rock bands that do not play that loudly. The flaming head was done nicely and I would really like to know who made The Bike. Selecting a date to go with this movie is a hard thing. The date should love Satan and have a low IQ or huge crush on you in order to enjoy the movie with you. Maybe it's better to leave the movie on the discount shelf in the store...        

Critic 2 

Johnny Blaze made a bad deal, but he got a nice bike and superpowers. Now he can do death rides without actually dying. It's a bit different story than in Ghost Rider comics but tunes are the same. Visual effects in dark corners of the world look nice. The movie starts a bit slowly and continues as a metaphysical journey when supernatural beings fight with each other. Well, there was never a doubt who will win... You may love this movie but most people probably don't like it.


Ghost Rider was not the best movie.
Judgement Star: Some very very mixed feelings here.

   

Friday, September 28, 2012

Literature and Science Fiction event Lokacon 2012


Event is gone and done. I hear it was a good event.

-Critic#1

Literature and science fiction event at Jyväskylä Finland. Themes of the event are steampunk and of course current topic of the end of the world. Guests of the event are Finnish writers Katri Alatalo and Magdalena Hai. Anne Leinonen will interview them. Katja Kontturi will tell how Duckburg almost meet her end. The program will be in Finnish.   

http://scifi42.fi/lokacon/

- Critic #2

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Star Trek - The Motion Picture (DVD): Scotty! Gimme acting skills!

Critic 1

A movie made in a true spirit of the Star Trek. Horrible acting, teasing uniforms (yeah.. Try to make your female employee wear something like that. See you in court.) and impossible problems. Ah... Those were the days. This movie has a odd mix of terrible computer generated scenes and beautiful scale model episodes. The visual effects in general are something that LSD trip would generate... I guess. Make no mistake. This is an extraordinary movie and your date has to be too....      

Critic 2 

In the future a mankind sends spaceships to the outer space and men have encountered many alien species. Maybe the phase of the movie seems to be a bit slow for watchers today. Somehow I got the feeling that the other space movie 2001: A Space Odyssey has been a big influence for those who made this movie. The feeling that space is kinda poetic place is enhanced with long visual scenes   where you can meet strange things and get experiences beyond your senses.

Judgement Star: If just William Chatner could actually act. This would be a excellent movie.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Blade Runner - The final Cut (DVD) : Do you have to like the classics?

Critic 1

I finally took some time and watched this classic science fiction movie. I can see why this movie is considered a classic but I can also see why the initial response was not so good. The plot is rather simple and Harrison Ford does not convince in a serious role. Some of the effects are really nice. So nice that the modern computer generated systems have hard time to follow. In overall the IMDB score of 8.3 is too much. If you want to spend some time with a entertaining movie pick some other. If you want to civilize yourself this is a good option. Risky as a first date movie... You may give a wrong impression.   

Critic 2 

This movie tells about about a dystopian future of mankind who has created artificial humans. But sometimes it's hard to know who is really a human and in what standards. It was nice to watch this movie again. I didn't remember that it dealt with some many different themes and how the layers of story fold up nicely when you watch it multiple times. The movie describes very visually the future world and feeling of dystopia is very real.  Main tune of the movie is kind of sad. I watched the director's cut version and now I'm curious to see the original theater version with narrator included.

Some mixed feelings here.
Judgement Star: Some mixed feelings here.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Ruthless Critics now in FB

Our posts will be (eventually) published in FB.

http://www.facebook.com/RuthlessCritics

The Bourne Legacy: Can talk the talk. Can't walk the walk.

Fresh from the movies...

Critic 1

Where is the tension? Where is the intelligence? A lot of talking and distracting flashbacks from the Bourne Ultimatum. I can see that the movie is very hard to follow for those who have not seen the previous Bournes. The few action bits were done with care and the casting had been done nicely. Solid option for a first dates. Not too much of splatter or excess violence. Be prepared to explain all the previous Bourne movies though...

Critic 2 

The movie tells another agent in a similar program as Jason Bourne was. Even not present in the movie Bourne still causes trouble to Bournes former superiors. When people on higher echelons start to act there will be collateral damages. Aaron Cross is not going to be one who will be trampled on. A beautiful science woman also tags along, but Aaron doesn't mind. Basic plot is very simple but bad guys talk about projects, processes, etc. and are trying to deceive those who watch the movie so that they would think it's difficult or clever movie. The movie is ok action movie but when it belong to Bourne series I was expecting more. It brings to you the world's best agent after Jason Bourne, seriously, this guy...    

A good movie even without Matt Damon
Judgement Star: The Bourne Legacy is a good movie even without Matt Damon.


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Book: The Saga of Seven Suns - Kevin J. Anderson

May the mysterious blobs raise

I'll review the whole Saga of Seven Suns as a one maybe that is how the author Kevin J. Anderson meant it be. As with the movies I'll try to describe weather I got value with my money.

The Saga of Seven Suns is a great epic if the shelf millimeters are considered. It consists of 7 books, several hundreds of pages each so an e-book is a viable option.

The story itself is something of a basic Sci-Fi stuff. Mystical ways to travel around stars, ancient enemies and sleazy politicians. Nothing really extraordinary. The Apple bookstore seems to be selling these books with seven Euros or less. If you want to spend some time with a good Sci-Fi this is a good option. Buy it from the discount shelf though.

- Critic #1

The scoring system is a self explanatory I guess...

Leave it in trash - Take it as a gift  - Buy it from a discount - Buy a Hardcover - For the prime spot on the shelf

Note: The average core from Goodreads is about 3.8 ! 

Monday, September 17, 2012

Cosmopolis (2012): A mildly difficult movie.

Critic 1

If you prefer a movies that don't need concentrating this is not for you. Movie takes place mainly in a limousine where a arrogant businessman bounces his subordinates around. The dialog probably has some philosophical depths in it but I need much more wine before getting grasp of it. Get a date with a philosophy degree and reserve a few bottles of wine. Not good otherwise.

Critic 2 

The movie tells about incredible rich golden boy who goes around New York in a limousine. Maybe this movie was an allegory or maybe it was a dream with random sequences or maybe main character did take too much drugs. If you watch this you can decide on your own does the movie make sense or not.

Cosmopolis is a complicated movie.
Judgement Star: It's a wild guess with the Cosmopolis.


The Bourne Ultimatum: 007 with a fieldcraft.

Critic 1

As a teaser before the upcoming Bourne Legacy we'll review the previous Bourne movie. The movie flows on with this deceptive slow phase. Action coils around itself during the last minutes and keeps the tension up until the end. The Booms and crashes are made superbly and script is complicated enough. A good choice if you are dating "a rough" girl.

Critic 2 

Third movie of agent Jason Bourne saga. It helps to understand the movie if you have seen two previous ones on series, but it's not neccessary. Again Jason Bourne is in trouple in agent business and he want's to survive (well who doesn't...). The topic is kinda same as previous Bourne movies, but it's an excellent action movie with an actual plot.

The bourne ultimatum. An excellent movie.
Judgement Star: The Bourne Ultimatum is an excellent movie.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Cars 2 : A safe choice for everybody.

Critic 1

The expectations were high after seeing the original Cars (2006). The sequel did a good job fulfilling these. Making the Mater the leading character was a really good idea. He's got a lot more edge in him that the goldie boy lightning. The plot was as expected for a computer generated movie. Funny and easy going movie. A good option for the first dates.

Critic 2 

A computer animation sequel about world where cars are alive and talking. It helps if you remember something from the first movie, but this movie focuses on different main characters and larger environment than one village. Very good animation and candy colored graphics. Basically children's movie, but storyline might be complicated for small children.

Judgement Star: Cars 2 is a solid movie.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

New logo.

Logo for the ruthless critics in now ready.

Ruthless Critics logo.



Alien Raiders (DVD): A genuine B-movie.

Critic 1

Movie almost filled it's expectations because I was not expecting much. The plot was not overly ingenious and the set was very limited. It felt like a crossbreed between Alien and Friends.... Some fancy make-ups though. Good if your date likes shady B-movies.  

Critic 2 

Didn't care about this movie. Too violent to watch on the first thing when you woke up. Some disoriented alien stuff. 

Alien Riders: A true B-movie.
Judgement Star: A shapeless blob indicating a true B-movie.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Our reviews compared with IMDB.

Did you know that http://www.imdb.com/ is one of the oldest active www sites?
And to my mind it has lost it's edge when it comes to reviews. There are so many critics
that the movie score is usually between 6 and 7 due to the Gaussian behavior of large human masses.

As you can see from the following. We consider bad movies BAD and good movies GOOD. 

Our reviews (star average) compared with the IMDB score.





 

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Lawless: Hillbillies Hurraa!!!

Critic 1

An excellent description of life in the backwoods of USA. You are what you are on basis of what you can do and deliver. The weak will perish. The settings of the movie are really authentic... You can almost smell the cow manure. Plot is simple but if you think that somebody actually lived trough something like that it kind of brings it into a perspective. No useless characters or too long lull episodes. Remember to ease your arm around your date during the bar fight scene. 

Critic 2

An interesting and well written movie depicting small town in the 1920's USA during prohibition law. Actors gave good performances and settings were excellent, so movie gave "real feeling". From the trailer you might get an impression that Gary Oldman has a big role in the movie, but it's only advertisement trick. There are some nasty violent scenes, but they only show that hitting really hurts.


Judgement Star for Lawless.
Judgement Star: Excellent movie.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Total waste of your time!

Critic 1

The local movie culture in our country is so that you don't walk out from the theaters if the movie is bad (or worse). During this movie this did happen. And for a good reason. The vampires are sexy yes...But not in this movie. If the acting, effects and plot sucks there is nothing to do. DO NOT APPROACH !!! 

Critic 2

Maybe I didn't understand this movie, either it lost a lot of potential or it was intentionally badly written. The movie contained some very nice visual scenes, but they didn't save the movie. Walker actually somewhat resembles Lincoln from real pictures, but otherwise his action was quite expressionless. The name of the movie promised more than you got.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Total waste of time.
Judgement Star: Total waste of time.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

UPCOMING REVIEWS... Probably...

Due to simple financial reasons we can't review all the new movies. Here is what we are going
to watch in the near future.

Skyfall Done. Post here.
Killer Joe (Forgotten)
The Bourne Legacy (2012) Winner of a recent poll. Will be reviewed. Done. Review here.
Cosmopolis (2012) Done. Our post here.
Lawless (2012) Done. Our post here.


Yes. We will start comparing our judgements with IMDB rating in some point....
Done. Comparison here.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Solid quality!

Critic 1

Not surprisingly a very good movie that lives up to it's expectations compared to Sherlock Holmes (2009). However the surprise element is now gone. Again the movie is kind of dark with not-so-perfect computer generated effects... But who cares? Action and plot are the carrying forces. I find the Noomi Rapaces gipsy character to be just an annoyance but otherwise casting is good. Solid option for a first date movie... If you can stand all the witting.

Critic 2

Gears go higher and Holmes meets a strong enemy. Not so much of character development, but more action. Although plot is revealed a bit after bit which fitted the movie. Downey and Law are continuing to cast one of their best roles. And it's steampunk, so the movie can't be bad. I Also liked the the music of both Holmes movies.

Judgement star for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
Judgement Star: A solid movie with a few weak points.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Iron Sky: We demand a better script!

Critic 1

I would really like to give this movie a better score but I just can't. I expected something much more simpler based on the Pirkinning. Beautiful to watch but really dull to listen apart of the few good jokes. The dialog and the plot kind of lagged behind throughout the movie. Even with faults the plot of the movie was really unique and combined with the extremely artistic visual effects makes the movie worth your money. Caution with your date. Tolerance of artistic and scifi movies must be high. And it will not hurt if your date has a right wing party membership.       

Critic 2

A nice science fiction movie and showy graphics, I liked kind of old fashioned script. Actors were surprisingly good. Includes also maybe some space battles and black humor.

Judgement Star for Iron Sky
Judgement Star: Fairly balanced but not extraordinary movie.

Sherlock Holmes (2009): Insists to be seen.

Critic 1

A very clever but dark movie. I guess that the darkness in the movie is hiding lack of expensive props or something. Robert gives the old chap some new edge without teasing the poor Dr. Watson too much. If you like witty dialog and complicated plots this is for you. Try not to outwit your date during the rest of the evening. You will fail... For sure.         

Critic 2

Very nice steampunk movie. In this movie Dr. Watson is not some old stupid man who is praising Holmes, but more equal with him. Themes from Doyle's short strories can be recognized dressed in different clothes. Downey, Law and many others are excellent in their roles.

Judgement star for Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Judgement Star: The Critic 2 has some soft spots for R. Downey Jr.

Casino Royale: Extremely good!

Critic 1

Well... If you were waiting some fancy drinks and womanizing you got what you were expecting. Excellent facelift of the 007 series without sacrificing the essence. I find the movie very sexy with this disturbing, mildly gayish way. Good for the first dates... Just remember to dress well.    

Critic 2

I was expecting lame action scenes and some over-engineered equipments, but gladly I didn't get them. This was actually a good movie and after movie I actually watched some other Bond movies as well.


Casino Royale judgement star.
Judgement Star: The Critics were extremely happy with the movie.



Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Total Recall (2012): FAIL!!!

Critic 1

Apart of very nice visual effects a total failure. Lacks the unruly mutant characters of the original version and the simple but highly distinctive dialog by Arnold Schwarzenegger. If your date likes Colin Farrell... Go for it!

Critic 2

Typical dystopia, but nothing very original except invented memories which can be planted in your mind. The movie started too slowly and action was backed after halftime. Characters were dull and by the way definitely Kate Beckinsale has botox in her forehead.

Total Recall (2012) judgement star.
Judgement Star: Looks nice and has decent action bits. Mostly useless movie though.



Prometheus: Very much worth of Your money

Critic 1

The expectations were high before seeing the movie. This could be considered a part of the Alien saga after all. I was disappointed. No chilling hunting scenes or anything like that. Not for the first dates. Advances beyond the second base can be forgotten after the birth scene. You'll know when you see it.

Critic 2

Visual effects of the movie was stunning. I was happy to see real science fiction movie after a long time in theaters. The movie consisted many themes, maybe a bit too many which caused confusion. But still I was glad that everything wasn't explained throughout. Many good actors also gave nice performances.

Prometheus judgement star.
Judgement Star: Prometheus offered a nice experience... That is if You were not expecting something close to Aliens.

The Expendables 2: Good for Your money.

Critic 1

The movie lived up expectations and offered good experience. I just hoped that Chuck Norris would have had a much bigger role. The Expendables 2 is worth your money. Not for a first date though... All the splatter may ruin the mood.

 

Critic 2

Nicely written dialogue, I was surprised. Lots of action and some good jokes, but I never find violence to be fun.


Expendables 2 judgement star.
Judgement Star: Compared with the first Expendables the sequel lived up it's expectations.


Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Baseline of the Ruthless Critics

What is a good movie?

In the previous post we showed the judgement star. Here we'll give you a baseline for the grading. The following lists will give you an idea what we consider good and bad.

Ruthless Critic #1

 

Expectation

Good: Rambo 4
Bad: The Amazing Spider-Man

 

Cleverness

Good: Sucker Punch
Bad: Total Recall (2012)

 

Sexy

Good: Underworld
Bad: Underworld: Awakening

 

Action

Good: Kill Bill 1&2
Bad: Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

 

Visual

Good: Sin City
Bad: Clash of the Titans (3D)


Ruthless Critic #2

 

Expectation

Good: The Dark Knight Rises
Bad: Total Recall (2012)

 

Cleverness

Good: Prometheus
Bad: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

 

Sexy

Good: The Dark Knight Rises
Bad: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

 

Action

Good: Expendables 2
Bad: Total Recall (2012)

 

Visual

Good: Prometheus
Bad: Expendables 2




Whats going on in here?

Overview

Movies are starting to be very expensive to watch and the quality of the *wood productions is becoming lower and lower.... After seeing several useless productions with hideous prize it's time to do something. We'll try to save you from the trouble of seeing these worthless movies.
 

Who?

Ruthless critics are a couple of movie enthusiasts without any ties to *****wood companies, movie distributors or magazines. So movie reviews will be objective.

What?

We will  give out our unbiased opinion about currently showing movies and perhaps DVD's if applicable. We'll try to answer questions like:
  • Is this a good for a first date movie (some personal fails here...)?
  • I liked the previous similar movie or sequel. Is this as good?
  • Is this worth of 12 euros (current price of 3D movie in our home town)?

 

How?

The first and foremost thing is that we will try to follow the KISS rule. A couple of words of plot and couple of more about the things worth mentioning or something like that. We'll leave you with an opportunity to be surprised.   

We will not use the common starring system. Any amount of stars is just too linear way to describe complex things like movies.  We'll use a five point thing that I'll call "The Judgement Star". We'll grade the following things:
  • Expectation. How the movie follows the image formed by the marketing, previous sequels and so on.
  • Cleverness. Is the plot intelligent? Is there something new? 
  • Sexiness. Bare boobs are in place in some movies but not in all...
  • Action. Is the action flowing? Is there enough of it?
  • Visual look. How does it look like?
The visual grade of a perfect movie is shown below. Note that movie can be worth watching even with a low overall score. It's more important that there is something that makes it stand up from the crowd.

The Judgement Star representing a perfect movie.
A perfect "Judgement Star".
As you might have deduced there are two of us. We'll post our separate comments in order to give wider base for Your decision. Note that the "good for first dates" applies usually on DVD's also if the movie is not running in theaters anymore.