http://www.neonreviews.com/ Personal reviews of just about everything. en-us Copyright 2003-2004 by NeonNero Wed, 29 Jun 2005 13:41 PST review@neonnero.com nn@neonnero.com Reviews NeonReviews.com Publishing System http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 1440 http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=warworlds We start off with a monologue from Morgan Freeman (yes, I thought I heard a familar voice) about life on Earth, after which we're introduced to Tom Cruise as Ray Ferrier, a crane operator at the docks. Not only that, he's the best crane operator at the docks (this is Tom Cruise we're talking about, remember?). He's divorced and the movie begins with him having a couple of days with his two kids, Rachel (about 10-ish) and Robbie (late teens), presumably a weekend. On the morning of the second day, stuff starts to happen. An electrical storm knocks out all electrical stuff on various locations around the world, and the war is on! The huge war machines come up from the ground (and these have been down there for a very long time, even before the human race were done evolving, something which is annoyingly pointed out several times throughout the movie), and start zapping people and buildings. How will the human race survive? nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl? Wed, 29 Jun 2005 13:41 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=irobotmovie We start off with the introduction of police officer Del Spooner, portrayed by the ever-so-elegant Will Smith. Early one morning, he's called to the site of the apparant suicide of Alfred Lanning, a high-profiled robotics engineer for U.S. Robotics, which creates robots for everyday use. On closer inspection, his suicide doesn't quite look like a suicide, but rather a murder. After examining his room, which was the origin of his suicide jump, Del encounters a robot that expresses anger, a feeling not otherwise programmed into robots. During the investigation, it appears to be someone who don't want him to get closer to the truth. nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl? Fri, 13 Aug 2004 00:45 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=tomorrow To sum up the majority of this movie, I found myself amazed beyond belief over the incredible visual effets. Who would think they could make the destruction of the world so realistic (with the exception of a couple of goof-ups). nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?45 Fri, 04 Jun 2004 05:54 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=fortress2 Seven years after the first movie, and Brennick and his family is still on the run from the company who owns the prison they were in back then. They've finally caught up with him now, and is sent off to a new prisoner colony. This time, it's in space. And once again, he needs to escape the prison. nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?41 Sat, 21 Feb 2004 20:10 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=fortress Christopher Lambert's character Brennick is sent to a prison run by the private sector, charged with having too many children. Yes, you read that right. This takes place in a future world where it's illegal to have more than 1 child due to overpopulation, which sounds a bit Chinese to me. The prison itself is technologically superior with painful devices that makes sure the prisoners upholds the laws within the prison. One day, Brennick decides he wants to break out of the prison together with his cellmates. Now they need to figure out how to do it. nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?40 Sat, 21 Feb 2004 18:11 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=thecell Jennifer Lopez does her acting career a big favor by starring in this horror thriller; a real display of what she's capable of, unlike some of the other movies she's been in (read: comedies). nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?37 Sun, 11 Jan 2004 06:33 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=lotr3 And now, the conclusion. And what a conclusion it is! If you thought the big battle in the previous movie was amazing, you'll be even more amazed about the battle of Minas Tirith in this one. They've truly made the impossible possible. nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?36 Fri, 09 Jan 2004 00:20 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=lotr2 And so the story continues. Even though the story is long, it has the potential to bind you to your seat until the story has been told to its end. Strong words, considering I watched the extended edition on DVD. I went into this story blind-folded, with no knowledge of the series beforehand (other than honorable mentions), and I think I had a good basis for being surprised of the story turns as it all went along. nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?35 Sun, 28 Dec 2003 02:05 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=lotr1 To be honest, I wasn't too interested in this series at first, but something about all the magic around it told me I should at least see what all the fuss is about. Now, I'm glad I did. Most films based on the "fantasy" genre don't turn me on, which was why I was reluctant to be as much as interested in The Lord Of The Rings triology from the very beginning. Lately, I thought I'd might as well see it, considering what everybody has already said about it. nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?34 Sat, 27 Dec 2003 23:18 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=thegame A masterpiece thriller starring Michael Douglas as the despicable financier Nicholas Van Orton. What do you give a man who has everything? For his birthday, his brother, played by Sean Penn, gives Nicholas a gift certificate from a company that designs games tailored to the participant. Nobody knows exactly what the game is all about, and the only rule of the game is to never ask what it's all about either. Nicholas' everyday life is influenced by this game, which turns out to become a nightmare. nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?30 Sat, 06 Dec 2003 19:40 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=animatrix This is actually a collection of nine animated short stories based on the universe of The Matrix. They all take you further down into the world of The Matrix and present some side stories covering what the three full feature movies couldn't cover. I think it's only fair that I divide my review up in that many parts for full coverage. nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?29 Sat, 29 Nov 2003 19:12 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=microserfs Douglas Coupland, author of Hey Nostradamus! and City of Glass, has a hit with Microserfs. Filled with American pop culture references, those unfamiliar with US television and movies may find it a bit harder to understand. That aside, Coupland writes in a style that any geek will appreciate. jay@doze.net (HeavyJay, guest reviewer) Books http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?28 Sat, 29 Nov 2003 18:04 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=matrix3 After seeing The Matrix Reloaded, I had big expectations for the third part of the Matrix triology. But I'm afraid I must agree a little bit with the others. It isn't quite as good as the two previous ones. However, as a Matrix fan, I say you need to see all three as a whole, and not as their seperate parts. When you've come to that, you'll see that The Matrix Revolutions sorta makes sense. It wasn't anywhere near what I expected, but it was something that wasn't bad either. nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?27 Wed, 05 Nov 2003 13:36 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=mctasty They should've called it Big N' Sloppy, or even Big N' Nasty, because that was the case of what I was given in a box over the counter. The "special grill sauce" I was promised had a tendency to drip over my white shirt and messed up a lot of the table. nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Food/diners http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?26 Wed, 05 Nov 2003 13:35 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=diehard2 Bruce Willis is back in the role of John McClane in the sequel to the original Die Hard movie, still around Christmas time, this time one year later, at Dulles airport in Washington D.C. For what reason, no-one knows. The thrill is still there, as well as some of the excitement, but the filmmakers didn't quite get the chemistry right for this follow-up. What could've been a good movie had become a mediocre movie. nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?23 Wed, 03 Sep 2003 14:15 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=diehard This classic from 1988 can still compare to the action movies of today, with Bruce Willis as the unforgettable New York cop John McClane and Alan Rickman as the German terrorist Hans Gruber. Although the German "stereotype" shines through a tad too much, Rickman manages to tone down the aric, violent-prone tough guy image Hollywood has made the majority of the German population. For which I'm eternally grateful. We have enough stereotypes as it is. nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?22 Tue, 02 Sep 2003 19:10 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=air10khzlegend This album starts off real nice and slow, and changes the pace in a good rhythm as it progresses through the entire album. All in all, a good album to sit down and listen to if you have an hour for yourself, or just want to relax (but not too much). I actually listened to this album when I had been going with about 3 hours of sleep over a period of 24 hours. Even though it's mainly slow-paced, it really kept me awake with soothing electronic rhythms. nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Music http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?21 Tue, 26 Aug 2003 19:16 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=freddyvsjason As a horror fan, I found myself believing that Freddy vs. Jason would be a huge disappointment. The long-awaited film, which had been in planning for ten years, couldn't possibly live up to the name of its predecessors. Most horror films made past 1995 have proven to be excruciating to watch, filled with annoying characters and thin plots. After the pure torture of Jason X, I was almost frightened to go see this newest installment. This wasn't necessary, as I soon found out. jay@doze.net (HeavyJay, guest reviewer) Movies http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?20 Tue, 26 Aug 2003 00:10 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=dmviolator The 80's brought us some wonderful things. The Rubix Cube, MTV, and the Safety Dance, just to name a few. Most signifigantly out of all of these, however, is Depeche Mode, a glorious British techno group. Their 1990 album, Violator, is not only a great LP, but a relaxation method as well. jay@doze.net (HeavyJay, guest reviewer) Music http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?19 Tue, 12 Aug 2003 17:48 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=stride1 A relaxing alternative pop tune I expect to see soon on any chart. I couldn't call it rock, or even pop (and there's a lot of music that falls into that genre). I'd call it alternative pop, or something on the half-way to pop. Another one of those songs you like, but you can't really put a genre to it. nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Music http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?18 Tue, 12 Aug 2003 13:20 PST http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/?id=jennifergov We're off to an exciting action adventure, seeing the story from all sides. The government agent, the innocent bystander, the evil contractor, the poor guy that got in the way, and that poor guy's girlfriend. Even though there are a few characters to relate to, and you're introduced and will be a part of each character's stand in the "game". nn@neonnero.com (NeonNero) Books http://www.neonreviews.com/nr/fr.pl?17 Mon, 16 Jun 2003 03:57 PST