KroneofThorns Reviews

The Zero Theorem (2013)

Weird thoughts related to "PI" and Math.

[5/10 · 20 November 2014]

****SPOILER****

This isn't even a full review or a complete organization of my thoughts. I just had one very simple thought, exercise, and question I'm going to propose.

Are "The Zero Theorem" and "PI" (1998) thematically linked?

Watch "The Zero Theorem" then watch "PI".

Ask yourself, if Gilliam, the screenwriters, and filmmakers are aware they thematically remade "PI"?

Plots: Man trying to solve a complex math puzzle things go nuts...also is bald.

I watched "The Zero Theorem" a few months ago so I don't quite retain all of it, I enjoyed parts of it, performance, set design, actors, costumes, but I thought the story was weak...but currently I am watching Darren Aronofsky's "PI" and finding certain similar thematic elements and I"m wondering if that was conscious or subconscious by the creators of "The Zero Theorem". "A Beautiful Mind" is a film about a numbers genius as well as many, many, many others however for some reason just thematically and maybe due to the fact that they are bald characters "The Zero Theorem" reminds me of "PI". As well as parts of "The Matrix" remind me of "PI".

Pi (1998)

Weird thoughts related to "The Zero Theorem" and Movies

[20 November 2014]

****SPOILER****

This isn't even a full review or a complete organization of my thoughts. I just had one very simple thought, exercise, and question I'm going to propose.

Are "The Zero Theorem" and "PI" (1998) thematically linked?

Watch "The Zero Theorem" then watch "PI".

Ask yourself, if Gilliam, the screenwriters, and filmmakers are aware they thematically remade "PI"?

Plots: Man trying to solve a complex math puzzle things go nuts...also is bald.

I watched "The Zero Theorem" a few months ago so I don't quite retain all of it, I enjoyed parts of it, performance, set design, actors, costumes, but I thought the story was weak...but currently I am watching Darren Aronofsky's "PI" and finding certain similar thematic elements and I"m wondering if that was conscious or subconscious by the creators of "The Zero Theorem". "A Beautiful Mind" is a film about a numbers genius as well as many, many, many others however for some reason just thematically and maybe due to the fact that they are bald characters "The Zero Theorem" reminds me of "PI". As well as parts of "The Matrix" remind me of "PI". (Also the shots of him looking up a leaves on trees remind me of those shots in "Miller's Crossing" but I just got through reading that.)

X: First Class (2011)

A Debate:

[7/10 · 5 June 2011]

Who in the HELL paid all these decent critics to review X-Men?

Alex: I've hated every X-Men movie so far, so I'm definitely not surprised if this one is terrible too.

Max: Let me clear this up though. Fassbender and McAvoy were great together. However their relationship couldn't save this trainwreck.

Thomas: I think the praise is higher because of the audience putting up with X3 and Wolverine, two pieces of sh*t. So it was way better then what was expected, plus the trailer made it seem just OK and the movie was better then the trailer made it seem as well. There were plenty of story issues that I had but as a movie itself, it was good.

Daniel Krone: I have my problems with the film, but they have nothing to do with the source material because sitting down to watch the film I threw all that completely out the window. I knew they were just going to take characters from the comics and do with them what they pleased. I accepted that they were trying to create their own mythology. The things that bothered me where the things that they put in the movie that probably shouldn't have been in their, and the blatant tone issues. Some scenes (Magneto killing those guys) and (the children drinking and showing off) seemed like they were from 2 different films entirely.

Max: The story bore the hell out of me, it was laughable at times. There was not one memorable joke / line / scene in the film. It wasn't dark enough. January Jones is just plain terrible. Every single shot of CG took me out of the film completely. Jennifer Lawrence ruined Mystic, she was a terrible choice. Her relationship with Beast was so forced and useless. There's some great themes that they had to play with that they just threw out the window. Fassbender and McAvoy didn't belong in the movie, they were 1000% above everyone in every aspect. Matthew Vaughn wasn't a great choice for this. The training montage was... eh. What were they doing? The story structure was all over the place, I couldn't tell where on act started and the other began. It was just a string of crap happening.

Max: The biggest problem for me? The X-men (comic) were created so people could connect with them. They are different. The have problems. They're like you and me so we should immediately connect with them... but in this... abosutley not. The scenes when the "first class" was just hanging out, drinking soda, naming each other? Come on. That was a pivotal moment in who Banshee, Mystic, Beast, Darwin, etc are... But they blew it right there.

Daniel Krone Wasn't dark enough ? What movie did you hope this was going to be. Ever since 'The Dark Knight' people have been complaining that comic films aren't dark enough. Spiderman 2 isn't a murder fest. It's fun and strikes the right tone. Spiderman 2 was less dark than this. (Yeah the visual effects looked 10 years old) and emotions, you mean outside of Fassbender and McAvoy and you said previously they were the only good parts of the film. Matthew Vaughn I think was a right choice. I only think the films lopsided because producers and other people were interfering with what he could have made this film out to be. I agree the structure was horrible. Editing was poor. There were maybe 3 great scenes (And yes I think great, that ending was amazing. And I agree kind of silly but it's a comic book film so I don't mind ridiculous submarines.) And yes they spent too much teasing the audience with great themes than using them. I guess I liked it because I saw what great potential the film had and of course the 3 good performances. Bacon, Fassbender, & McAvoy. They were leagues above the other actors in talent. And the rest of the film should have taken the kind of care they took with there performances. But I expected far less and got slightly more than the last films had given me. It wasn't epic, it should have been. (And that one scene was horrible because it was poorly written and I bet rushed in the shooting so the actors seemed forced. That scene was one notch away from being the right tone, and you're right. The direction of that scene blew it...thank god bacon showed up and killed some people.) It's not a great movie, but maybe for me it's a guilty pleasure.

Daniel Krone: I saw an interview with Bryan Singer where he said he wanted to pander to the fans (in so many words it wasn't that blatant) and I have a feeling why sequences, and other things felt really out of place is too many of the writers and producers trying to get their own visions in. And Matt Vaughn not stepping up the the plate and saying...hey this is my damn movie let me do it. That's how I feel. He was too blinded by the fact that he was directing a large important property that he lost sight of what was going to make this franchise important.

Daniel Krone: But I still think "Batman Begins" has a lot of ridiculous flaws. So hopefully the next time around the producers shut up and let Matt Vaughn get a clear, focused (key words) vision down and perhaps we could indeed have a great second follow up.

Inception (2010)

Inception spoiler

[7/10 · 18 July 2010]

This film contains spoilers for Inception and also several other movies.

* * * Inception not the most original film. But for those not paying attention it might feel that way.

Inception reminds me of 5 films. 1. Dark City. 2. Total Recall. 3. What Dreams May Come. 4. The Matrix. 5. Eternal Sunshine for the Spotlessmind.

I have not seen the "13th Floor" & only elements of "Existanz" remind me of this. Maybe its the portable of the unexplained-super-science-shared-dreaming-device. Also an element of the long-lost-love plot device from "Shutter Island" and of course the questions of *sanity* are in "Inception" but it deals with that slightly better in this film than in that film and I say slightly because it's mainly just a distracting Muffin from the plot at hand ; aka the 'corprate espionage' a far more interesting plot than the wispy (*run now spoiler*) romance plot. First of all "Dark City" a film about an alien race who've kidnapped humans and change their memories in order to discover the secret of the human soul. Night after night on a timer they change the setting using a thing called 'tuning' (Changing the surroundings and landscapes around humans while simultaneously changing their memories to see how human beings react under different circumstances in search for the human soul), the film "Inception" employs the concept of an architect to do this within the dream strait that is. They've added extra rules but the concept of memories fading and creating realities from these memories and the search for peaceful memories is still an interesting theme throughout. And the cliché of some lonely romantic beach is indeed attached. (Shell Beach) Total Recall leaves you with an ambiguous ending. And throughout gives you awkward moments allowing you to doubt what's reality and what's Recall the same way this film implores that mainly through it's horribly disjointed editing to create the feeling of doubt as to whats real and what's not. Also considering Mari Coliard's repeat this theme ad~nausea. Also the wink that hey maybe the fact that you're a super agent is an absurd dream anyways. In the film "What Dreams May Come" based on the highly praised novel by 'I am Legend' author Richart Matheson. Robin William's character creates his own heaven. (Based on what appear to be Thomas Kinkade paintings) to live out an eternity with his wife, a perfect world they can grow old together in eternity. But several times when he sees her she's a fantasy, a shade of his memories of her. The same exact thing happens ad-nausea in "Inception" when Leo's character is in the dream state. Also the idea of a strange disjointed hell like state is in "Inception". So if I ever meat Chris Nolan and he's not seen the movie or read the novel "What Dreams May Come", I probably won't believe him. The correlations to the Matrix are obvious and been bled to death in other reviews and I don't give a care. In the Matrix the characters are capable of strange feats of gravity and reality but other than that there aren't very many correlations. The Matrix point was a strait forward allegory to whatever society I don't really remember or care. "Inception"'s plot is far far more involved. And it's also bloody obvious when they're in the Matrix and when they are not. And there is no romantic themes in Matrix or camaraderie with the group so the comparisons only have to do with style not the actual plot or themes of the films because plot & themes in these two are far drastically different. The film only slightly reminds of "Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind" and there isn't any one specific thing I can point to. The plot of "Eternal Sunshine" was romantic. The romantic aspects in "Inception" seemed like an after thought and was far too rushed than they needed to be adding and interested back point to the corporate espionage plot that the film is claiming to have but really the film "Inception" is 100% about Leo's character Cobb. The corporate espionage is more of a Muffin. Because we're never fully explained why it's that important. Which is a very weak point of the film. The film will twist your mind and is so ambiguous at points that it seems to be more about mood and style & higher themes than actual plot. It does not deserve any merits of originality for the script however the visual effects & cinematography of the film are absurdly good. There are plot holes in the film which are probably devised purposely by Nolan to confuse and disorient the viewer. 7 1/2 out of 10 stars : Don't think too hard & don't lose yourself in the plot holes sit back & enjoy the exposition, the ride, & the film. Don't compare it to other films & enjoy the ride.Also you might have noticed that I refer to both the 'romance' and 'corprate espionage' plots as muffins because they both are. This film is far more about themes and style than plot. But that's not a bad thing for me. This film literally and figuratively allows you no leg room to stand on. Which is the mark of a well thought out and masterfully directed piece of cinema. (Even though it's derivative, divisive & full of plot holes I like to refer to as questions or huh? moments.) Hmm did anyone else notice the french music in the movie. It kinda reminded me of another movie with Mari Collard? I also had the distinctive pleasure of seeing this film at a private screening room last Monday at Warner Bros. I wasn't allowed to talk about it until it was released and just saw it for the second time in theaters at an I-Max so this was my review based on that secondary viewing experience. (Muffin is also a replacement for a word I can't post.)

Trick 'r Treat (2007)

Well hopefully a tradition...but let me speak

[8/10 · 3 October 2009]

I expected this film to be over hyped so I went into it and expected something a little different than what the film actually was. It wasn't a mix of frightening campy scenes like "Creepshow", but was fun like an old "Tales from the Crypt" episode which is what I loved most about it. It felt like Halloween. It felt like the perfect Halloween film, not the perfect horror film, it was fun.* I hope they make sequels and it becomes sort of a tradition like the 'Saw' films have become in recent years with many different writers & scenarios. The beginning of the movies feels kinda jilted though.

B+ (With stickers :) )

His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th (2009 TV Movie)

Okay this is funny. * * *

[6/10 · 27 September 2009]

In a Starz Documentary titled "Going to Pieces : The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film" (Great doc by the way for fans by fans) the girl who played Angela in "Sleepaway Camp" refers to Italian gaillo cinema as first coming up with a lot of original deaths aka, spear through two lovers backs. Then the documentary shows us that "Friday the 13th" actually stole that bit from I believe an Argento picture but then in this documentary she claims it to be ORIGINAL Wow just wow!!! I mean that's beyond changing your mind. It's on the same exact shot!!! Oh my take on this documentary it's totally unstructured 100% unstructured. It doesn't build a story or to a climax or even start at 1 and go to the end it's all over the damn place. I like it but it's not really a true documentary. There is almost no craft too it, but I still enjoy watching it. I'm a fan so it's really like watching one of those well edited but semi cheesy holiday vacation videos of a truly great vacation. This film makes me nostalgic for good slasher movies and despite desperate editing. (And I understand that) it is a truly enjoyable picture as a fan of Jason. Despite being a documentary where most of the stories I've already heard before it still managed to feel fresh which is one step better than "American Nightmare" which is a very stale documentary.

Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream (2005)

Not the greatest , but

[5/10 · 6 July 2009]

Not the greatest a documentary on this subject that it could have been.

But definitely worth watching. The doc lacks the energy of the films it showcases & consistency of story. One minute it's about war & politics in the seventies, the next minute it's about going to a theater with your friends. Sometimes it forgets to Super certain people and then folds back in on itself & goes a different direction with a different movie & different tastes. It seems more like a scrapbook & collection of people in that generation & less a fully realized piece of work. I expected more, got less, & recommend it for anyone studying this subject; but not serious fans of documentary films. The pace once they get to Eraserhead from then on the documentary has a good pace, but before that some of the interviews shots are bland, unmotivated & some gfx are just gaudy. Mediocre at best unless you truly love & want to learn about these films. Also the whole work keeps flashing up shots of the book it's based off of seemingly at random *.* Not my favorite, but if interested in some of the history it touches on the subject but doesn't manage the broad scope in a consistent & complete narrative

Robot Chicken (2001–2022)

Amazing Show but not (Also a rant about season 2 ...)

[8/10 · 12 September 2007]

The quality of animation in some bits is inspiring, and the breadth of what they are spoofing is amazing, you know your truly geek if you can figure out most of even the most esoteric (look up word if you don't know what it means, because it actually is ) references

Season 2

There are some gems in season two, however due to the fact that the DVD is uncensored, it makes it a bit more harsh, especially because most of the time we know what they're saying the overuse of the word douche seems to be without a doubt lack of a thesaurus in scripting, yes as immature as it can be, it's still kind of a funny word , but not used as a crutch the way most of the fart jokes come across, which there seem to be more in the second season than in the first, even though I don't think there really are in season two. Most of the bits go on longer than they should and push it farther than what's funny . . . aka, the Chief skit.

Religious satire is great, I believe morel orel is a show dedicated to that ... however Jesus and the Argonots (Despite the fact that the name is funny) I think it's just over the top, and doesn't hit the nail on the head at all, especially because if you're going to satirize something you should do it in the confines of what you're doing. (Meaning if your going to spoof something, have the thing your spoofing act the way he should and write the comedy around it, don't use the name, and put a whole different spin on what it is ) I'm a Christian and out of all the religious spoofs in the show, this is the only one that actually bothers me, * that and Buddah isn't a god in the religion. (season one)

"Take care of the environment or I'll F$*(#&ing kill you" - Captain Planet

I work for an NBC news affiliate, and their are some truly sick things in this world I'm happy there's a show out their that can make fun of it.

I think it is a truly amazing show,

The Wicker Man (2006)

"I know horror", Nick Cage/ Neil whatever his name is director.

[3/10 · 4 September 2006]

I'm afraid you couldn't even discern the plot of the only movie to be called The Wickerman from 1975. However thank you for pissing so fiendishly like a 12 year old boy who's just found his daddy's playboy and is nervous on one of the finest films I've ever seen. You changed the story, you changed the Scottish theme. You pussied out on a story about a man dying for his religion, at conflict with another. You pussied out on plot development for the sake of cheap, and I mean crack whore cheap thrills, and red herrings (I'm not even sure you knew the purpose for those devices used with supposed care in even the most thoughtless mystery story.) that went no where near the plot. It was nothing but random, and had the feel of a really bad student film. Student films are where you screw up to learn. You should not do this at the professional level. No offense, but MY student film was better. Though I shouldn't compare it to student films because that is offensive to student films!!! I don't even want to know how much money all what 20 studios that tried to get their hands on this you ruined. But at least the trailer was decent, so maybe many people will go see it. And even though it will more than likely never be a fan success, maybe it won't lose money, though at this point it deserves too.

And for all obvious reasons a MAY POLL represents the penis. Not man you douche, but you thought you were being clever I guess changing the meaning of an actual religious pagan tradition.

It was however worth my 5.00$ Because I spent the majority of the time laughing with my friend Rachel, we couldn't even keep a strait face after the film had finished. And I did get to see the trailer for The Fountain which looks good.

I'm giving you a three, because I didn't leave, and or vomit.

Hostel (2005)

Decent Horror Flick...

[7/10 · 1 February 2006]

It wasn't particularly my favorite, I've seen Euro Trip, and I've seen Saw; the concept was over done, Roth should have held back a little, used lighting and good camera work to show the audience fear, and he did, the scene in which our so called hero was drug to his would be death chamber passing other victims was absolutely the most brilliant horror moment of this film, (Though I must say it reminded me an awful lot of the opening of 'Irreversable') Problems I have with the movie, only one really, I didn't expect a masterpiece even though I already now it had Miike' and Tarantino's seal of approval...***Asian EYEBALL SCENE...growl, (CLOSEUPS OF UNREALISTIC OVERDONE POORLY LIT MAKEUP!!!) the only time in the whole world I would ever say that the Asian girl scene should have gone to the editing room floor, the raw disturbing vibe of the film was great, it was fun, kind of cheesy and loose at points, (side characters even reappeared as you see mostly in comedies which was different for a horror), but sheer creepy and disturbing at others, very well balanced almost teen horror but too intense to be catagorized as that, up until that point where he, ehem 'our so called hero', goes back to rescue a one dimensional Asian girl character who I guess was thrown back into the plot because without that scene the film wouldn't have been long enough to show in theatres, the establishing shot of the 'rescue was great' a well lit man ramming a blowtorch in the girl's eye and her out of view in black in the background...that was great, but closeup to where ovbiously it's fake skin over the eye, and her walking around in public like the elephant man then plunging in front of a train for the sheer reason just to have yet another cheesy blood splatter effect on background characters was poorly written, and just plain bad taste (And not the fun Peter Jackson 'Bad Taste' either.), but I'm planning on buying the film, and checking out Eli Roth's other work like Cabin Fever. He seems to show promise, and the fact that Takashi Miike is in the film, well if you don't know who Miike is or what type of films he makes, check some out, I highly recommend them, then you may see why Roth's film has a certain vibe to it. Even though I barely enjoyed the film, I am planning on buying the D.V.D. because the master of Asian horror Miike cameos in the film.