Vintage Tomorrows - 7 stars out of 10

Vintage Tomorrows - 7 stars out of 10

“Vintage Tomorrows” is an interesting look into the visually arresting world of Steampunk.  This documentary goes beyond the images that we all recognize and explores the social views of this movement.  This group of dreamers looks to the world that could have been and uses this perspective to create an atmosphere of optimism.  The interviews with experts help to bridge the ideals of the movement with the visuals that we have all seen.  The documentary is broken down into different chapters that give an informative, organized feel that is easy to follow.  The section on music was interesting but pretty odd.  The main draw for this film is the movement’s visual style that includes gears, goggles, and machines that show their inner workings on the outside.  It is slowly becoming visible in our culture with musicians like Justin Bieber embracing Steampunk in one of his music videos.  It is all about the details and really makes me want to revisit Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris to properly appreciate those details.  “Vintage Tomorrows” is a great film for anybody interested in art, fashion, and the ideas of romantic science fiction writers like Jules Verne.

[Pictured: This house on wheels is one of the coolest things in the film]

Toys (1992) - 1 star out of 10

Toys (1992) - 1 star out of 10

“Toys” is truly one of the worst movies I've ever seen, from its lifeless character to the Gettysburg Address/"I have a (Barbie) dream-house" war speech.  This long-winded approach to telling a short (uninteresting) story is painful in spite of its amazing artistic vision.  It is hard to imagine a movie this bad receiving Oscar nominations, but it is even harder to believe that it may have actually deserved the nomination for Best Art Direction!  The film places an inherently stupid story and overacted characters amidst a creative-looking toy factory and a vividly colorful landscape.  You’d expect powerful performances with names like Robin Wright Penn, Joan Cusack, Michael Gambon, Jamie Foxx, and LL Cool Jay (why not?) on the list but they are all awful.  I never imagined that Robin Williams could be so unfunny and unlikeable without it being intentional.  The worst part is that they all seem to think that they are contributing to a legitimate film.  I’d blame the editors but they must have known what they were getting into when they read this script.  Beyond the actors, I don't think that any audience watching a PG-13 movie is dumb enough to accept this as entertainment.  Is this supposed to be a comedy or... ?  They even had to Insert of a random music video because there isn't anything interesting about the transparent plot.  They probably thought that the 15-minute long toy battle sequence would be the big payoff but instead, it is unbearably long.  Outside of the cheesy slow-motion effects, the film hasn’t aged well with a factory full of toys that most kids have never seen in the iPad age.  They did somehow manage to unintentionally predict drone warfare.  “Toys” is a horrible film but if you can’t tell that from the cheesy Christmas opening sequence, you might actually enjoy parts of this movie.  But I doubt it so don’t bother.  What a waste of a triumphant Hans Zimmer score.

[Pictured: Need I say more?]

KidPoker - 7 stars out of 10

KidPoker - 7 stars out of 10

“KidPoker” is an awesome look at the life and career of poker star Daniel Negreanu.  From the origins of the KidPoker nickname to the amazing support of this mother, this film tells the entire story.  Anybody who has played Texas Hold ‘Em poker will be ecstatic while watching footage from some of Negreanu’s best poker tournament moments.  Even those who do not understand what the big deal is about these poker hands will be drawn in by the stories of his gambling away everything over and over again until he finally came out on top.  My favorite parts of the film are the interviews with Jennifer Harman, a rival poker player but still close friend of Negreanu.  This documentary does a great job of providing a behind the scenes look at the poker world.  I don’t know that “KidPoker” is going to turn anybody into a poker fan but for those who have seen Daniel Negreanu on the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour, this documentary will humanize him and make you appreciate his big wins even more.

[Pictured: Negreanu is one of the liveliest, most entertaining poker players in the business]