da-port-figure Reviews

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Enhanced the Original but kept the Soul of the film intact. Some miscasts and lacked scores.

[7/10 · 23 September 2016]

Honestly, I was very afraid that Hollywood would ruin the classic by just embellishing it with A-List actors and try to make a quick buck from the name.I did not for a second believe they would be able to portray the heart of the original into a remake, I thought they were going to turn it into an "action flick" kind of like how they ruined Ben Hur. But I went with an open mind and I have to say, I was blown away.

The best thing about this film that set it apart from the other westerns was the pacing. It did NOT drag on, every scene had a purpose and added something to the overall story line. In a lot of westerns you'll have some drawn out scenes that could easily have been edited out of the movie, but it seems like the directors ENHANCED the original product instead of trying to change it. This is what a good remake should do, focus on the previous movie's flaws and make it better, and they did it brilliantly. Extra kudos to Chris Pratt that did a wonderful job as comedy relief, he felt very natural in this role and I do believe he should be nominated for best supporting actor. I did not think Denzel Washington was the best character to play Chisolm, he did not excel in this type of role, but it does not take away from the film. I did expect some more remarkable scores throughout the film, they should have gotten Enio Morricone to do at least one of the scores, although they did utilize the original score in some parts which was very welcoming.

Hardcore Henry (2015)

Great Concept, Terrible Execution

[4/10 · 10 April 2016]

I believe this to be the very First Person movie produced for mass audiences. The trailer is enough to captivate anyone that watches it at first glance, so I was excited to make sure I watched it on the big screen because it didn't seem like the type of movie that would be worth watching at home.

I didn't go watch because of the plot, I went, like many others, just for the experience of a 90 minutes of a first person action film.

Where it failed: All sequences looked the same except with different "thugs" and different guns. It felt like the movie looped at least 4 times.

I am not sure the correct word to use in this situation is "bored" but I was tired of the same thing over and over by the first 30 minutes I wanted to walk out, but I didn't want to miss "SOMETHING", which never really came.

The experience was not that great, it was not like the 180 degree cinemas they had back in the days where they would put you on the seat of a roller coaster and you could really feel like you were part of it. I wasn't able to feel included, it did not really seem that immersive as I thought it was going to be.

Although I didn't come for the plot, I have to say this movie was just weird. I won't get into the details but it was all over the place, a mess really.

I am not sure more like these will be produced, It will all depend on how the mass audience reacts to the title, but although I do not see a future for "first person movies" I do think this is a gateway into 360 Virtual Reality movies, which in theory at least, sounds very interesting.

I have to say, go watch it for the experience of something completely different, but don't expect anything out of the ordinary

The Hateful Eight (2015)

I understand why some hate it and why some love it

[9/10 · 30 December 2015]

I grew up watching westerners with my father, it was part of our bonding time, so whenever I see a western type of movie pop up, it immediately grabs my attention. Now keep in mind that i'm a young guy in my 20's so I will say that I do understand why most people disliked this movie.

We are so used to shorts and with the emergence of very powerful TV Series at our fingertips on Netflix, with twists, turns and swerves at the end of every episode, we crave for something that will deliver the same amount of impact, complexity and visual effects that TV series rely on. That will not be found in abundance in this film, it is a very long movie with the first half dealing SOLELY with character creation and that is done through very dense and heavy dialogue scenes, it to me is the most refined Tarantino movie to date and I'm sure i'll have my critics on this but this is the one because it may not be his BEST TITLE, but the most artistic one for sure. Where some see dullness I see a stage for the art of dialogue.

It is a movie you can watch many times over just to enjoy the way it was filmed, the dialogues between the characters, the one liners and overall feel through all the scenes. It was shot so well and the acting was so brilliant that you feel immersed by the universe, you can almost feel the shivering cold the characters are enduring and feel refreshed at the warmth of the freshly brewed hot coffee.

I feel like younger people (under 30) will find this a boring creation for they were expecting the typical gory hack and slash scenes from Tarantino, which are present but nowhere as abundant as a few of his other titles.

I was extremely excited when I found out Ennio Morricone performed the score for the movie but I have to admit that it felt a bit too modern for an old western movie, it somehow lacked the essence that he is known for.

Overall, I recommend that you watch it as the masterpiece that it is, allow the movie to guide you into this adventure, do not take breaks or pauses, it does feel dense and heavy at times or as the younger generation would label it "boring", but bear with it and absorb as much as you can for it all has a certain meaning, even if not apparent at first.

I am sure you will feel rewarded. I left the movie theater with a heavy heart for I did not wish it to end, by the end I was completely drawn in to their world, I have not watched a movie like this in decades and I truly hope more of this style will come to fruition, this was an incredible experience every film lover should experience at least once in their lifetimes.

Lucha Underground (2014–2018)

Made for real pro-wrestling fans.

[8/10 · 15 January 2015]

Since WWE Main Roster has not stepped their game up for years now, and providing stale, predictable and mediocre programming at best, many pro-wrestling fans started looking for other promotions to watch. When I first found out about Lucha Underground I have to admit I was not excited to watch it. I thought it would be just like a Mexican promotion being showcased in the US, but when I heard Chavo Guerrero and Johnny Morrison (Johnny Mundo on Lucha Underground) were going to be in it I decided to give it a try just to see what it was about.

The show is very well scripted, instead of just having promos, they have actual movie like series for the main story lines. The stories have meaning and depth, it's not just about two guys going at it for no reason.

The wrestling is very good, although they do have their fair share of botches and timing issues. But their headliners really can put on great matches.

They need to work on their timing, sometimes a guy will just stand there and wait for the next spot to happen, instead of it being a natural flow. They also do way too many "fly out of the ring" spots, which just take away from the spectacle that they should be. I saw about 6 fly out of the ring spots in a single match, it was just way too much. Their workers tend to botch here and there but other than that I have enjoyed the episodes and will be on the lookout for it. I can see a bright future for Lucha Underground if they can actually keep on improving the product and plugging the minor nuisances