Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Dreamworks has finally delivered a theatrical masterpiece the same year it released a more mediocre Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. If you love kung fu fighting but do not expect to see humans in the role, you will want to watch this. Kung fu adventures with adrenaline-rushing action scenes and blatant defiance of the laws of physics, humor, chemistry and the progression of a character doubted to fulfill the vision of a "dragon warrior", cement this movie's place above other movies of the past based on the same genre. What must also be a significant merit is the artwork devoted to giving China such beauty that one would be encouraged by the cultural heritage of the country itself.

Before the main scene, we watch a sequence of artistic awe from the studio logo to a dream sequence of the titular character himself, adapted from Chinese art. The titular character himself is Po, voiced by Jack Black. I would think that Jack pulls his vocal performance with such enthusiasm that it fits the panda who dreams of becoming a kung fu master. The hand-drawn animation coupled with Jack's voice elevates the soul and spirit of anyone who watches, even to the point of a hysterical cliche of dream interruption by external voice. That is the moment that the hand-drawn dream sequence ends and the C.G.I. animation begins. The C.G.I.  is so aesthetic that the panda himself looks so plush and crisp. It looks like a big step forward in quality.

Po's father is a goose, and nobody seems to ask. Po is a hardcore fan of the "Furious Five", which comprises of Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Tigress (Angelina Jolie). As I mentioned before, they perform unimaginable feats of defying the laws of physics, case typical of every kung fu movies. This is an exemplary scene of camera zooms to heighten the excitement already rife in an open-air arena. Tigress is voiced by "the most powerful actress in Hollywood", and this movie constantly gives us the impression that she is the Dragon Warrior even though Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) announces Po as one. Once Po is announced as the Dragon Warrior, it causes a stir, obviously because of his lack of skills and poor image and his over-enthusiasm but lack of focus.

So the plot of the movie is that Master Oogway announces the presence of the Dragon Warrior. Tai Lung is in prison but later breaks out to wreck vengeance on the village and reclaim his scroll. Po is "accidentally" chosen as the dragon warrior but is ridiculed for his aforementioned personalities. Master Shi-Fu plots to pressure him in order to force him to quit, which almost succeeds but fails because Po is more than determined to fulfill his dream rather than live a life of mediocrity. Po shows that he would rather fulfill his dream than follow his adoptive father's dream of having Po mtake over his noodle restaurant.

The genius behind this movie must have spent considerable amount of time researching the Chinese culture, without throwing in stereotypes that would incense the wider audience. The animation elevates the quality of the architecture and artwork in every picture, including the Jade Palace. From bright fireworks to explosives, the picture quality is nothing but artistically appealing.

A formula to an epic movie is to build characters. Vocal quality and story arc are crucial to making a character worthy of care. We often acknowledge some characters deserve sympathy for their back-story, even the villain. Tai Lung is a villain voiced by someone who has looked into the soul of a villain and brought it out through his voice. Tai Lung's story goes this way: he believes he should have been the dragon warrior, but Oogway saw darkness in him and denied him the scroll. This denial was validated by Tai's rage and force, which Oogway successfully subjugated. It can be true that fighting fire with fire is not the true measure to defeating a villain, but to extinguish his aura, as demonstrated by Ooway himself. If you have seen past kung fu films, you will agree that this works.

You will notice something odd about the characters: not all of them are given proper names. We have "Po", "Tai Lung", "Shi-Fu" and "Oogway", but the characters named after the animals they are, are not given definite names. Shi-Fu named the snow leopard with a proper name, but not the other characters.

There are many action scenes coupled with impressive C.G.I. and camera angles: the arena choreography, the prison break, the suspension bridge assault, the training sessions, Tai Lung vs. Shi-Fu, Po vs. Shi-Fu. The build-up is so intense that it is in an order of development. There are also comical scenes, such as the firework-propelled chair, the dojo pinball, and the stairs. One character who everyone under-appreciates for his personality, transcends through these scenes in order to become what he has always dreamed of. A panda such as himself lives up to the title of the film. 

Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machine (2003)

This is the only installment where the iconic score does not play during the opening scene.

James Cameron did not direct this film, Jonathan Mostow did. One thing many have in mind is that this film lacked the thrills and gem of the previous two movies. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) is absent; Dr. Silbermann plays a cameo; John Connor (Nick Stahl) is a vagrant, living in destitution due to fear of being located even though he assures himself that Judgment Day is a reality-cum-myth.

It was assured that they stopped Judgment Day. However, in this year computers around the world, civilian and military, have been compromised. Nobody can live their lives as normal because televisions, cash dispensers, and even scanners are defective. John's nightmare is about to come true, thus his disconnection from the main grid: no address, no home, no vision, no friends or family of his own. It turns out that John was in the eight grade when he disappeared, meaning he was at least thirteen in the year 1997.

I think this movie is worth it because a female terminator has been sent back in time to undertake an assignment. A little trivium here is that this is the only movie in the series where T-800 appears in the past after his adversary. With that aside, it is an eye candy to see a female in the nude before a male shows up. But one thing still makes no sense: just like the last movie, this movie still does not compensate for the plot hole regarding the time field: if the time field could sustain non-living tissue as well as living tissue, why would the subjects still travel in the nude? However regarding the female, that discrepancy can be ignored.

 Many will notice that this film goes to certain extremes to ensure that it attracts a younger audience, even with seedy innuendos coming from the female terminator, called a Terminatrix (which sounds like a portmanteau of Terminator and Dominatrix). Even the introduction of T-800 is a lot cheesier since his last entrance in the previous movie, Terminator 2. He makes his appearance at a less convenient time: at a ladies' night in a certain pub. Now that has to be the most embarrassing timing for a machine who has not even grasped human emotions yet. This is accompanied with very detailed scans of what to wear, even of what is visually inappropriate for a man! This is PG-13/12A material? This is kind of clunky and bewildering since the last two movies are R/15 material.

The Terminatrix (abbreviated to T-X) is a fusion of a T-101 and a T-1000. She can manipulate other machines with nanotechnology and possesses an arsenal of electric cannons, a flamethrower, cutting and stabbing weapons. She has several targets on her list, including one Katherine Brewster (Claire Danes). Several murders are undertaken by her, yet no calls were made to the police since the network is under siege. And if she can use electric cannons, I do not see why she would resort to a conventional firearm.

One other issue to withstand for the first half-hour of this film is Katherine's constant howling and barking. She has been "kidnapped" and shows little cooperation. If that's irritating enough, then it might be a good time to cover your ears. She makes Sarah Connor sound tamer by comparison. Speaking of her, she happens to recognize John Connor, even after almost a decade! In fact, coincidences are so rife in this movie that it was harder to notice them in the last two movies.

 I would not forget the tradition of car chases. The car chases in the last two movies were tamer compared to this. Here it is ultimate overkill: one van, several police cars, a crane and even a fire truck are dragged into this orgy of destruction and endangerment of human lives. One second of it is either unintentionally hilarious or grossly heinous because had a child been involved, that would have been controversial. This chase was also also adopted into The Matrix: Reloaded, which was released the same year. The main difference is that that took place halfway into the movie on a highway, while here it happens after almost half an hour, This is where the pacing is sporadic. And you may also find some shots are carbon copies of the last time T-1000 took over a semi to pursue young John Connor.

Machines are rising and taking orders from a self-aware program. John Connor is more than determined to prevent Judgment Day, even if he has been repeatedly told that it was just postponed and is inevitable. No matter what, the fate of humanity has been sealed. A nuclear war is unleashed and the world is at the mercy of the same machines they created to protect. While the nightmare is being realized, we have to sit through endless exposition and long car journeys. Director Jonathan Mostow directs a sequel for a younger generation who might as well search for the earlier installments that spawned it all and solidified James Cameron's position as one of the critically acclaimed directors of Hollywood.

Ted (2012)

Why exactly would anyone enjoy this movie? The realities of adults, the deal with growing up and moving on. There are many people who value their childhood so badly that they find it so hard to let go. John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) is no exception: his best friend has always been a teddy bear which magically comes to life even in a world of realities. This teddy bear is just like a teddy bear from a Toy Story movie, except it has a personality of Family Guy's Pete Griffin because he is voiced by the same person who voices him, Seth MacFarlane. So crude humor and reality check are the themes of the movie.

So the beginning of the movie prior to the credits is accompanied with a narration which is typical of any Christmas story or any magical fairy tale. As it shows, young John Bennett is not so good with kids of the neighborhood; friendless and rejected. He longs to have a friend and when he receives a teddy for Christmas, he is joyous and wishes for it to talk. When he does talk, it at first churns horror but later raises the spirits of many who witness this as a Christmas miracle.  This phenomenon sweeps the media and creates euphoria like wildfire. The reaction is hilarious and everyone treats Ted as a celebrity. The narrator is not wholly typically child-friendly, for he delivers a quote that reflects the reality of celebrity: it never lasts forever. It becomes a fad which dies down after some time, and Ted ends up as an everyday individual. 

John has a girlfriend named Lori (Mila Kunis), yet he still lets Ted interfere with their relationship. The last straw is drawn when Ted invites several hookers to Lori's apartment, one of whom makes a horrid mess on the carpet. Unsurprisingly I initiates hilariously heated disgust and horror from Lori, with her having to clean up the mess while John watches. It is pretty evident that John is still not man enough to do it for her, so much of a child that even Lori's boss, Rex, hits on her at work. Why else wouldn't he? John's a 35-year-old man-child who still affiliates with a teddy bear even when he is at work and never objects. Being a man he is not, Lori finds him obstinate.

You will notice that whenever John and Ted are sharing screen time together, there are frequent instances of smoking from a bong and trading curses at each other. Normally I wouldn't see this as proper behavior, but what can I say?

John works in a car rental; Lori works for a large private corporation; Ted now works in a grocery store. Ted befriends a hot female, Tammy-Lynn who lives in Queens. Tammy-Lynn has issues with Lori because Lori condescends on Tammy-Lynn . Lori has indirectly shown herself to be snobbish and self-righteous. You could hate her for this, but she is more mature compared to John. In the meantime, a father and his son are just so obsessed with Ted that the father stalks him but not as frequent. His only makes his presence near the end of the movie, proving how dubious they are with their obsessive tendency.

This movie is full of humor you might as well find genuinely worthy of a laugh. Normally toilet humor is to be frowned at, but when someone erupts violently their reaction yields laughter from one who watches. But one scene where all that is amassed is in a scene where Sam Elliot (former actor of Flash Gordon) makes his appearance in Ted's apartment. It is surprising how Ted has invited so many people for a get-together, even if it is unclear how he knows them so well. If the evil bong wasn't enough, cocaine has to be the craze. However, it does not end there as they soon enrage their neighbor Wan Ming by breaking his wall and ruining his duck dinner. The animatronic duck and C.G.I.'ed talking teddy bear duck it out and that small confrontation alone is a compliment to the outburst from Ming himself. Genius writing to diversify on various devices instead of relying on one comical device is a merit this movie possesses to earn laughter from the audience.

Another hilarious scene is where John and ted argue over whose fault it was when Lori broke up with John. A fight ensues and the sound effects amplify the hilarity of the situation. It is a classic scene that must surely have the audience glued to the scene without distraction coming their way. A fight like this enables them to let the heat off, even if it does not escalate to murdering each other (well Ted is a soft toy, so he is more vulnerable to being torn apart).  

When I think of Family Guy, I think crude, tasteless humor and blatant innuendo. This movie reinvents the vision of MacFarlane and churns out a reflection upon adulthood. A movie with a plot, whether solid or not, can look into itself and redirect its focus. John is a man and not a child, who soon realizes what he never had until it was gone. A C.G. teddy bear interacts with a full grown man in such a way it can be hard to understand how it could ever be achieved. It can a wonderful experience how characters can be sympathized with and how they look into themselves and try to rectify their predicaments.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

James Cameron directs a sequel to its successful 1984 predecessor. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) has become a mother but ends up in a mental institute while her son ends up with foster parents. Skynet sends another terminator to finish the job, only this time it is T-1000 (Robert Patrick), a liquid metal cyborg capable of shape-shifting and forming solid metal weapons. The original terminator, T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger), has been reprogrammed to serve and protect John Connor (Edward Furlong), who is now a teenager.

If you ever love to see a way between the machines, this movie recaps the apocalypse illustrated in the first movie but adds enhanced visual effects to heighten the dark mood. All that was good is now toast; machines have overrun the world and T-800's are evermore present in the battlefields. Lasers are shot around and the electric sound effects accompany the flashing lights pulsating in the battle zones.

Robert Patrick plays a killer on the loose. Just like his predecessor from the previous film, he stalks and strikes without mercy--typical of a machine. He never speaks much and shape-shifts into characters played by other actors. So his role is just as easy as it was for Arnold. However, Arnold Schwarzenegger does more talking than before and this has to be difficult for an actor posing as a machine full of technological vocabulary. The deal with this is how robotic he has to execute his role, but just as before robotic is the nature of a cyborg.

Edward Furlong plays the role of a preteen with loose morals and a bad boy attitude. He feels neglected and wanting. Why not? His mother's a psycho and his father is non-existent. Sarah could have told him, but she acknowledged that this could alter history after what happened previously. I can vouch that a boy without a father is destined to fall short of his reason for existence. T-800 becomes John's protector, and more of a paternal figure. A kid has so much for him that despite the initial misunderstanding with a machine, he just feels compelled to bond with a man who is not really human, but fills in the void of an absent father. It is sad for a boy to grow up without a role model.

The biggest merit of this movie is the breakthrough in C.G.I. The T-1000 alternate form is given the treatment that marks the superior quality of the effect even in the year and decade when computers were still basic. This movie was released in the year 1991, yet the computer effects were so tremendous that nobody could ever mistake it as rudimentary. The shape-shifting effects are visually aesthetic and attention-grabbing to keep the audience awake and alert.

So if have this right, John Connor is 10 years old; Sarah is 29; the movie takes place in 1995, which is more than ten years after the events (in 1984). Yet John is still allowed to ride a motorcycle without attracting the police. And on that subject, the foster parents don't even do the job of taking hold of his vehicle until legal age. Wow. The laws must have been either lax or just non-existent, even though he is still too young to drive! I have always imagined him to be 13 years old, so there is obviously some kind of typo in this screen. If that's the case, then this movie is set in 1997, not 1995.

What a twist. Sarah has been too near Kyle Reece and now has turned ballistic like him. Reece went mad over the Terminator; this time Sarah goes mad over the supposedly emerging "Judgment Day". At least her own tirade is not as painful as Kyle's.

There are tons of Pepsi product placement in this film: neon lights, cans and vending machines alone. James Cameron must be a fan of the Pepsi merchandise.

You remember the last film where a suspenseful build-up was accompanied by slow motion and a change in the ominous music? They do it again for the scene where two machines are after the same target, giving the audience the impression that (if not for Sarah's prologue) both machines were after the same person, only for it to be clearly revealed who is the enemy and who is an ally.

Many viewers would question the concept of time travel. In the last movie, both Reece and T-800 were transported back in time without clothes or weapons because the field generated requires living human tissue but cannot sustain non-living or dead material. Since the terminator is surrounded in protoplasmic tissue which mimics human tissue, it can get through. However in this installment, T-800 is still surrounded in living tissue but the T-1000 is notably not. Yet somehow he can still generate the field to travel back in time like the T-800. It can be said that Skynet enhanced its technology to sustain both living and non-living matter, so why they are both unclothed is still elusive to the human comprehension.
The biggest headache is the time paradox: Kyle Reece is from the future; he impregnates Sarah who later delivers John Connor. If John sent Kyle to protect Sarah, how is it that Kyle hasn't already rewritten history? It is difficult to explain this without inducing mental stress, considering that the war had erupted prior to this time travel. I mean, John's dad was around before Reese, so it is questionable as to how the fabrics of time and space hasn't already been tampered with. 

More car chases, explosions and police intervention accompany the trio of fighters. The T-1000 kills his leverages in order to accomplish its goal. The fight between machines in the present rages on for the fate of the future, and the intention of change the future suffices. A boy and his mother struggle to fight their worst fears: Sarah's is the fear of killing someone in order to alter history; John's is the fear of living without a paternal figure. And the saddest part is the ending when John's fear inevitably unfolds. It is a tragic ending that remains one of the most memorable scene to Cameron's masterpiece.

The Terminator (1984)

It is a dark future: humanity has been incinerated in a nuclear fallout, perpetrated by the very machines they created to serve and protect. Skynet, the enemy AI behind this apocalypse, sends back a lone cyborg, human on the outside and machine on the inside, to eliminate the leader of the human resistance before his birth, by killing his mother. The human resistance fights back by sending back their own soldier to thwart the assassination attempt in order to preserve history. The fight between two soldiers to change or preserve the future unravels in the year 1984.

A sci-fi fantasy of its decade, The Terminator cemented Arnold Schwarzenegger's position as one of the most influential and memorable action movie stars of all time. The bulky beefcake of an actor takes his stance as a machine with no emotion whatsoever. So it is little wonder that his wooden acting and almost muted dialogue suits him as a terminator. His expressionless face and rigid posture defines the attributes of a machine sent to kill, a machine that never breaches protocols when sent back in time to kill the one who could offset the outcome of the war in the future.

The visual effects and set design must have an impact on one's memory. An apocalypse is characterized by skulls and machines, flying and tank-like. They shoot lasers at human targets, thanks to the technology that has stepped up at the time to look convincing and appealing to sci-fi fans. C.G.I. was not available and even if it was, it was not a reliable option for this movie; hence prop designs and models were the option to work with. Stop motion is the effect that gives the authenticity to the exoskeleton in the climax, even if it is not so perfect. I also must give ample credit for the sound effects and visuals for the time travel that occurs. By today's standard it's dated; back then it was eye-catching. However, many scenes of the future contain flashing images; anyone prone to epilepsy should skip these scenes.

What I can gather is that the cyborg has no complete knowledge of the prime target, Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), due to the loss of records during the war. The internet was invented in the 1980's but was not available to the public until the 1990's; so how Skynet lost the records is beyond me. As a result, the Terminator resorts to using a phone book to track down its target. What would be surprising is that the intended Sarah has no middle name while every other Sarah has one. However, once "Sarah Louise Connor" and "Sarah Ginger Connor" are mentioned, it does beg the question how they ended up the unintended targets when she clearly was not listed in the same phone book. Either way, the assassin is dubbed the "phone book killer" and it becomes too dangerous for a lone woman to be out at this time of night.

The movie builds up to the point where the final Sarah is open for target but is saved by a hair's breadth by Kyle Reece (Michael Biehn). The only reason it successfully located her is because of her student ID card lying in Ginger's apartment. No records were available for it to identify the target hence his pointless spree. Her location was also revealed due to her timely phone call from a nightclub called "Tech Noir" via answering machine. Coincidence is rife in this movie but it was there for a reason: if the terminator complete its mission, what else does it have in mind? In the modern era, coincidence is typical of weak writing and lack of ideas; however, considering this scenario, it is not.

Speaking of the build-up, this scene is accompanied by slow motion, ominous music, and a gradual rise in heartbeat. The music changes from the techno beat to the movie soundtrack in which all is lost and the machine is all but successful. Then the action and mayhem erupts! Gunshots flare and several escaping revelers are caught in the crossfire.

Every time I watch the interrogation scene at the police station, I just cringe at the very sight of Reece going ballistic. After answering the question relating to the recent debacle, he flips and I mean flip like a psychopath. I am sure Linda herself was shocked at his sudden outburst as I was. It is highly valid that this is a typical case of a shell-shocked soldier: a mercenary from a dark future suddenly splits after exposure to the war against the machines. This would make him intimidating in emotion compared to the machine on the hunt.

The only downside is the sex scene. If it ever takes place I would more than quickly turn away and mute just waiting for it to end. It seems out of place and could have happened in the dark instead of sufficient lighting. Thankfully it's short and contracted.

If you love car chases, machines crushing their human adversaries, time travel, computerized first-person views, gun play and war, never forget the classic that still rages on in the modern day. This is one action movie one actor is remembered for even if he ages. This is also a must-see for anyone with a nostalgia for the 1980's. Anyone who wants to ask themselves what a machine is destined for once its mission objective has been met, can see why it is more than necessary to destroy the machine assigned to terminate.