Review: Tron Legacy 3D

The first Tron was, for-better-or-for-worse a product of its cold-war paranoia time. Yes, it was fused with (what was at the time) ground-breaking technology and featured a storyline about computers, but Neil Flynn's adventure into the webverse was littered with metaphors for communism throughout.

Now, there are no metaphors for the war on terror or other pressing foreign conflicts in Tron Legacy, but it does take on one issue: addiction to technology. "You can be a slave to your preferences" and the film makes that point abundantly clear. Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) was a man who used his technological prowess to create some of the most superior videogames around. Now, he is a monk in a world that refuses to let him leave.

Years ago Neil Flynn, alongside Tron managed to save the webverse. Clu (also Jeff Bridges), was created to manage the grid and keep peace. However what happens instead is a betrayal most intimate. Flynn's creation holds Flynn hostage and sets the world in tyranny. Kevin's son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund) is left empty and orphaned by his father's disappearance more than twenty years ago. Upon receiving a message from his father's old arcade Sam goes to investigate. The apple proves not to fall far from the tree and both Flynns end up entrapped inside the grid. With the assistance of Quorra (Olivia Wilde), Sam tries to escape the grid before they are enslaved.

The world of Tron is a spectacular one, it is almost as if Earth were designed by Apple. Joseph Kosinski takes the framework of Tron and expands on it making it his own. Each facet of Legacy completely revamps and improves on the designs of the original. Landscapes, vehicles, even the weapons, all have advanced far past what Kevin could have ever foreseen, to a dangerous effect. The soundtrack meshes seamlessly with what is happening onscreen and many thanks for Joseph Kosinski having the wisdom to choose Daft Punk for the project. A better match could not be had.

Jeff Bridges is unquestionably the star of the picture despite Sam getting the most screentime. Kevin Flynn is the soul of Tron Legacy and every time Bridges is onscreen that fact is abundantly clear. Hedlund and Wilde don't really make a huge impression, but that is due to the fault of questionable dialogue.

Not since Avatar, has 3D been featured so prominently in a picture. For my money full-immersion is the only way to go and nothing else will substitute. This may be nothing more than a popcorn thriller, but in a year woefully low on excitement in the theatre outside of Inception, that is a wonder in itself.

***/****

The Best of the Decade

Over the last ten years, the cinema has given us a great deal to be thankful for: a rebirth of the Batman franchise, a series of examinations of what it means to live in this particular decade, and a mass of character studies whether they be animated or popcorn thrillers. As much as I have enjoyed the offerings, a list must be culled together for the end of the year. Except this year is different, this year ten films must be selected from hundreds. Below are some of the best of the aughts. Enjoy! 10) There Will Be Blood Paul Thomas Anderson's magnum opus, a scathing look at extremism in America and the evils of greed and profiteering from religion. It also features the best performance of the decade with Daniel Day-Lewis as oil-man Daniel Plainview. 9) Up A beautiful tale that entrances all ages, Up managed to captivate children and tell a tale that adults cherish as well. 8) The Dark Knight Maybe just a comic book film, but it is the best comic book film

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Months before Inception hit the theaters forums were alive with rumors that Christopher Nolan either accidentally or intentionally stole some details from another film, the Japanese anime Paprika. The biggest point of comparison for some bloggers and forum runners was the fact that both of the films featured a device that allowed a person, or people, to travel into another’s dreams and delve into their subconscious. Minor points of comparison include scenes in Paprika where the character Paprika breaks through a mirrored wall by holding her hand to it, as well as a scene where a police detective falls his way down a hallway. Claims have been made that Inception abounds with imagery similar to or exactly like the anime movie, but with the recent release of the film on DVD and Blu-Ray, and with Paprika available for several years now, an examination of the two plots can be made more fully. Let us begin with the primary claim— Inception stole the idea of a dream

Armond White or: How I Learned to Stop Caring and Ignore the Troll

Whether it is his glowing review of Norbit , his thrashing of Toy Story 3 , or just his general pompousness, you are aware of Armond White. His dismissal of Toy Story 3 came at a convenient time when the film was sitting pretty with a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes. "But Toy Story 3 is so besotted with brand names and product-placement that it stops being about the innocent pleasures of imagination—the usefulness of toys—and strictly celebrates consumerism." A claim that could have been taken at face value had he not followed it with this sentiment " Transformers 2 already explored the same plot to greater thrill and opulence." I am sure if one were inclined to interview Michael Bay at his most enlightened he would have never crafted an answer that insightful regarding hidden parables in his Transformers vehicle. White was at his most incensed when forced to sit down and type out his thoughts regarding Precious , but praised Norbit for its reflection o

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