Better Late Than Never on "The Matrix"

I know that it took me far too long, but I finally saw "The Matrix". And I'm talking about the original, the first one that came out a long time ago. I have had people yell at me about not seeing it for a long, long time. It was all in good fun, but still, I just never got around to watching the movie. And as time passed, I kind of forgot to watch it. That is until an in law of mine wanted me and my son to see it. We agreed on a time, and that time came last weekend.

I loved this movie. Everything about it worked for me. Even the graphics, which were very premature, worked for me. The CGI never really felt out of place or looked all that bad. When you think back to how bad some of the early CGI looked in other movies, it is an accomplishment how well the original "Matrix" was able to use it in its infancy. I also loved the story too. I like the whole idea of deciding if you want to know what is real or what is fake. I like the idea of all of us living in a matrix created by some other entity. I like how things bend and change in and out of the matrix. The whole scene where Keanu Reeves fell off the building and the ground turned to foam, that ruled. The fight scenes in the movie were off the charts as well. I could watch them over and over and over again. It was good for me to see early Keanu fight scenes since I'm such a big fan of the "John Wick" franchise. "The Matrix" showed me that he could pull it off that early in his career. From karate to all out gun and helicopter fight scenes, they were all nailed. I loved the injection of onomatopoeia sounds while they were doing karate. It made the scenes work even more, and gave it a little humor.

What really made this movie work so well was the cast and direction. This was before the Wachoski Brothers became sisters, but that doesn't matter when talking about this movie. They know how to direct sci-fi and action with the best of them. I may not have seen "The Matrix" until now, but I have seen their version of "Speed Racer" and I truly enjoy "Cloud Atlas". So, going into this movie, I had an idea of how they directed, but this has to be their best work. And that cast, man did they crush this movie. Keanu was at his best because he had little to say. When he is given little dialogue and gets to focus on the action, that is when he shines the most. And when he did have to deliver dialogue, he did great. Laurence Fishburne was dynamic in this role. I followed him every time he was on screen. I loved how he delivered his lines, and the action scenes, he absolutely crushed. I was blown away by his performance. Carrie Anne Moss was equally as great. She could've played the whole damsel in distress thing that was big at that time, but she owned it and was totally badass. I loved when she yelled at Keanu and her action scenes were the best. She was so awesome. Joey Pantaleon was smarmy and slimy as always and he does that better than most. And Hugo Weaving was simply the best in the whole movie. I loved how stone faced and mean he was, until he wasn't anymore. I found his villainous role to be one of the best I have ever seen in a movie. There were times where I actually agreed with what he was saying after his crew had kidnapped Fishburne's character. This is a role that sits above others in its greatness.

Look, I know it was my fault for not seeing this movie sooner, but I saw it. And I loved it. "The Matrix" is a classic for a reason and now I fully understand its greatness. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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"John Wick: Chapter 2" is Way Better than Expected

I believe a pencil makes an appearance in the film

Holy shit was "John Wick: Chapter 2" incredible! I'm not going to spoil anything during this review, but man oh man was this movie absolutely awesome.

I was very late, admittedly, to "John Wick", but when I saw it, I loved it. I thought it was the perfect role and movie for an actor like Keanu Reeves. He doesn't have to say much at all and he gets to kick a ton of ass. He also gets to work on his martial arts stuff, which he is very much involved with. When I finally saw "John Wick", I could not sing its praises enough. I told anyone and everyone I knew who hadn't seen it to watch it immediately, and most of the return I got from them was positive.

When I heard they were making a sequel, I was pumped. When pictures started to float around the internet, I searched them out. When people were mentioned in roles for the movie, I pictured how I thought they'd do. I was very immersed in anything "John Wick: Chapter 2". I did not know if I was going to be able to see it in the theaters, but I was fortunate enough to have some free time this past Sunday, called my dad up, and we picked a time to go see it on the big screen. This is the best way to see a movie like this, I love my action and violence on the big screen. 

"John Wick: Chapter 2" this movie delivers in droves. There is barely any time to catch your breath from one action scene to the next. Even before the opening credits, there is a heart pulsing, fast paced action scene. It was incredible. I was in from second one of this movie. It was everything I loved about the first movie, but it was like they made the second one on steroids. A movie like "John Wick: Chapter 2" is so much more action packed and fun than any of the "Fast and Furious" garbage that has been pumped out the past couple of years. "John Wick: Chapter 2" is far and away the best action movie that is out in the theaters, and I see nothing changing my mind about that for the rest of 2017.

My only gripe, and it is not even a real gripe, is the few set up scenes to the action and violence. There was a few scenes, totaling maybe 15 minutes of film time, that the director and writers put in the movie to set up the reason why John Wick is doing what he does in this movie. It reminded me a lot of what the people behind "The Raid 2" did, but I do not need any of that stuff. I watch the "John Wick" and "Raid" movies for the action. It is such a throw away gripe, but if I had to say one bad thing about either, it was the pointless dialogue scenes. At least it wasn't on the level of a movie like "300".

But, other than that, this movie was perfect. It was exactly what I wanted from a "John Wick" sequel. The body count is enormous. The way some of the bad guys meet their demise is brutal and made me say things out loud in a theater. I haven't done that since I saw the Ryan Gosling movie The "Drive". The fight scenes were incredibly choreographed and a total blast to watch. The supporting actors in the movie were awesome. Common was incredible. The new bad guy was slimy and creepy and a punk. He was great. Ruby Rose was awesome as the main bad guy's number one bodyguard. Her performance is really good. She is going to be a big, big star, if she isn't already. Laurence Fishburne was chewing the scenery like only he could, and I could not take my eyes off of him when he was on screen. He was so god damn good in this movie. I loved the reunion of him and Keanu. They clearly have tremendous chemistry. Ian McShane was suave and cool as hell. He is such a great actor, and his role in this movie wasn't needed, but the addition was great. I grew to love his character. Everyone else that I did not name, they were all great. All the henchmen and assassins and the random people with one or two lines, it was all simply perfect. "John Wick; Chapter 2" is the perfect sequel. They knew what they had going into this movie, and they barely changed a thing. It was just as brutal and violent, if not more so, than the first one, and I thought that was the exact correct choice. The actors do what they do best in a movie like this.

Everything about this movie worked. I'm so glad I was able to see it in the theaters, and I highly recommend everyone go check this movie out. It rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Although he is a pacifist, Ty does like his stylized hyper violence. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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