TFL Reviews: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (originally posted 6/22/12)

*May Contain Slight Spoilers*

Move over James K. Polk you just replaced as my favorite 19th century president, and its all thanks to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. A young President Lincoln's mother is killed by a supernatural creature, which fuels his passion to crush vampires and their slave-owning helpers. This was a fun thrill ride of a movie and on the surface looks like something any self respecting nerd would be excited to watch. So, did this movie live up to the expectations? Was it what we were all waiting for?

Let's start, as always, with the good. This movie looks amazing! From the set design, to the costumes, to the effects, this film's visuals are absolutely stunning. And while at times the CGI can look like CGI I didn't mind that so much. Also the acting in this film was actually pretty good and surpassed what I thought would come from a movie like this. I felt that Benjamin Walker did a good job as Honest Abe, even though his delivery can be stilted or awkward at times it seems to fit the character but the he brightest spot among the cast, in my opinion, was Mary Elizabeth Winstead. I really liked her portrayal of the young Mary Todd and found her acting top-notch in this film. The overall story was compelling and even tough some of the twists were predictable it was still fun. And finally I really liked the inclusion of other historical figures along the way. I did however would have liked to see more between Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas(Alan Tudyk) but I guess this is not the place to go for background on historical debates.

Now for the bad. The love story between Mary & Abe is very, very concise. Basically she shows up engaged to Douglas, then goes on one date with Abe, then the future first couple is getting married. Most of it probably ended up on the cutting room floor but I would have liked to see a little more. Also the make-up on this film could have been better. While they did an amazing job on aging Abe they must have run out of money after that because everyone else seemed to just get bad fake beards. And it looks like they didn't even bother to age the Mary Todd Lincoln character aside from putting a slight hint of gray in her hair. The music in this film was a little subdued in my opinion. I would have liked to have heard a little harder and louder score to the movie. Killing vampires should rock harder. Finally the ending to this movie felt a little anti-climatic and the final fight between Lincoln and the lead vampire Adam(Rufus Sewell) seemed a little quick for my taste. It might just be that I'm used to video games where boss battles happen in many stages but I would have liked to see a longer battle between the two.

So the overall verdict? Go see this movie, its fun and at times will have you on the edge of your seats. The action is fun and frenetic and the story is enjoyable. I give Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter 4 out of 5 Stove-Pipe Hats.

I Want an Ax Gun

Watching Dead: Episode 2 - 'Sick'

***This Will Contain Spoilers, Its a Recap!***

Well its Monday, the saddest day of the week because we are the farthest away from a new The Walking Dead, but don't despair next Sunday will be here soon and until then we can come together to discuss what just happened in this week's installment of Watching Dead. This week we have episode 302 Sick. So what the Hell just happened and what does it mean?

When we left our group last week they had just cut off Hershel's leg because he had gotten bit and right before we faded out we got a look at a group of inmates that were still alive in the prison. That's where we pick up, as our group is trying to deal with the Hershel situation they are also thrown into a stand-off with a group of prisoners lead by Tomas, an inmate with an obvious homicidal past. After getting Hershel back to the cell block Rick strikes an agreement with the inmates; for half of the food left in the cafeteria they will help clear out a different cell block for the prisoners to occupy then they go their separate ways and never see each other again. Rick is very clear on this point and does not mince words, if he sees them around his group he will kill them. Meanwhile Hershel is touch and go and no one knows if he will make it but if he doesn't they all know what has to be done. Back to Rick and everyone is getting ready to head in and clear out a new cell block. After a brief walker killing class they enter the building and the inmates totally forget everything they were just told and start acting like its a prison riot, shanking and beating the walkers but no head shots and no kills. Hershel is getting bad and everyone is worried.

Enter Carl, he has found the infirmary and come back with a bag full of supplies. He seems pretty proud of himself until his mother starts yelling at him for going off on his own. In typical kid angst he snaps back but is quickly shut down by Beth and he stomps off pouting. Things are going good for the team cleaning out the cell block that is until Big Tiny, an inmate, breaks rank and gets scratched. While everyone is arguing over what's to be done Tomas kills Big Tiny so fast and so brutally that everyone else is left in stunned silence. Finally the gang reaches the main doors of the cell block and a zombie slay-fest ensues. During the entanglement though Tomas twice tries to kill Rick, one time by throwing a walker at him, but to no avail. After the fight tensions are high and without hesitation Rick plants his machete deep in Tomas' skull. Another inmate, Andrew, runs off and after a brief pursuit Rick ends up locking him up in a courtyard full of zombies. The last two prisoners left are set free into their own cell block and told to keep away and stay in their own area. Back with the others Hershel dies but Laurie decides to act quickly and gives CPR, a very dangerous proposition. It pays off and Hershel is saved. All the while Carol has enlisted Glen in getting a woman walker to experiment on in case Hershel can't deliver Laurie's baby. The episode ends with Rick and Laurie talking about the state of their marriage and how divorce is really not an option in this new world and that staying together is all that matters now. Rick looks like he agrees and you can feel they still love each other but right at the end Rick chooses not to give those comforting words and just leaves her with a very basic compliment. The last shot is of Carol preparing the zombie body to be dissected but it switches angles and you are watching Carol from the vantage point of someone hiding in the brush outside the prison gates....fade to black and the end.

The one word I would use to describe this episode is Decisions. Yes while Rick does struggle with the fact that he might have to kill these unknown men he does not hesitate with the decision to kill when those men pose a clear and immediate danger to the group. You may ask how that is different from the brutal killing of Big Tiny, and why does Rick get a pass? Well the answer is simple, Rick does not enjoy what he's doing, every death costs him a bit more of the man he used to be. For Tomas the kill was enjoyable and was something he was probably very comfortable with before the zombie outbreak. Another key decision is Laurie's choice to try and resuscitate Hershel. In this world we all know that if you die you come back as a walker so you must act quickly to contain that person. Instead Laurie jumps basically on top of Hershel and gives him mouth-to-mouth. Now how much of that was selfless and how much was predicated on the fact that she needs Hershel to deliver her baby, we'll never know. In this new landscape your survival has a lot to do with how fast you can make those hard choices and act upon them. Things like Carl running off alone to get supplies and Carol experimenting on walkers also show an example of decision making, I feel. Both of those characters are deciding what they want their role to be in the group and are taking steps to become a new and more productive member. In the case of Carl he is deciding what type of man he wants to be, but he does still have a lot to figure out. In the end three big decisions are made that will effect the group greatly, Rick & Tomas, Laurie & Hershel, and Rick & Laurie. What happens next? Well for that we have 'til wait for next Sunday.

Let me know what you guys thought of last night's episode by commenting below and as always please Like the official The Final Level page at Facebook.com/thefinallevelchicago, +1 us on Google+, and follow us at @TFLChicago on Twitter.

Best Walker Moment: A prison inmate zombie in handcuffs proceeds to rip off his own hand to get free and attack Big Tiny. It made me actually groan in disgust, now that's good make-up effects.

Iron Man 3 Trailer Teaser...Yes You Read That Right.

Now this is something that I honestly thought I'd never see, but I'll forgive it because its for Iron Man 3. Yes it is actually a quick TEASER for the TRAILER that premiers this Tuesday, Oct 23rd. Click here to check out the tease. The only thing you really get a good look at in this teaser is the new Iron Man Mark 8 Suit. Also you get a glimpse of the back of The Mandarin's head the villain for the film played by Sir Ben Kingsley, and a scene of Pepper Potts(Gwyneth Paltrow) apparently getting tortured. Check back Tuesday and I will be sure to post the entire trailer and take a look at what we see.

NBW: The Walking Dead #103, Wonder Woman #13, Hawkeye #3

Mother nature and a freak power outage have tried to keep me from this week's post, but you should know nothing can stop New Book Wednesday. This week we take a look at everyone's favorite zombie apocalypse survivors, a bad-ass Amazon princess, & a book about an archer that maybe should have a different name.

First up The Walking Dead #103. Unless you've been living under a rock you know that The Walking Dead TV show premiered this past Sunday to big ratings and great acclaim but what a lot of people still don't know is that the show is based on a long running comic book. While the TV show is great the comic is different enough that you can actually have two distinct experiences if you read the books AND watch the show. So what happened this month in TWD #103. After the very shocking murder of Glen at the hands of the evil gang leader Negan the group is still in shock and they are even more in shock when Rick told them they were not going to be fighting back and actually giving in to Negan's demands. This book starts with Andrea packing her bags and getting ready to leave Rick. She cannot believe that Rick is just telling everyone to rollover and let Negan take half of their supplies. She is all set to leave until Rick reveals that he does have a plan but can't let the others find out because he needs Negan to believe they've given up. The rest of the book has Negan coming to the settlement and taking supplies while antagonizing all the survivors he comes across. The tension in this book is palpable and you wish you could reach through the panels and slap Negan around for yourself. I can't wait until we get to know what exactly Rick's plan is. Written by Robert Kirkman and drawn by Charlie Adlard.

Next up lets hop over to the world of DC Comics and the adventures of one Princess Diana in Wonder Woman #13. Now I have been telling everyone I know how much I love this new Wonder Woman run, the story is amazing, the art is fantastic, and the action is kick-ass. This month we find Diana and her group held up in a hotel. Now that Zeus is dead and Hera is turned mortal Apollo sits upon his throne in Olympus. He has called together all his brother and sister gods to discuss the new threat of Wonder Woman. Meanwhile back in the hotel Wonder Woman/Diana is trying to keep the peace now that Hera has entered the group and trying to figure out how to get back Zola's baby that was stolen by a traitorous Hermes (the baby was stolen because it was the last offspring of Zeus). Yes I know its all a little confusing but do yourself a favor and start reading this book, you won't be sorry. Maybe though, go back and pick up the first volume trade collection of this new Wonder Woman. Written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by Tony Akins.

Finally comes a comic that grows more and more on me each month that I read it, the latest installment for the bow wielding Avenger, Hawkeye #3. Now back at the top you might remember I said that this book should have another name. If you ask me this book could be called Clint Barton or just plain Clint. This book is about the world of Clint Barton/Hawkeye when he is not being an Avenger so that's why I say it should be titled differently but they can't do that because Hawkeye is the name everyone knows. This month we find our hero meeting a mysterious woman with a fast car. Hawkeye buys the car, sleeps with the woman, and then proceeds to help rescue her from a gang of Mini Cooper driving thugs, and all this starts because he needs some tape to label his bows. this is a fun story and the art has really started becoming a major attraction of the comic. Also the constant bickering and back-and-forth between him and his sidekick/temp Hawkeye Jessica is pretty funny. I highly suggest you jump oon this book while its still relatively new and easy to catch up on, you'll regret it if you don't. Written by Matt Fraction and drawn by David Aja.

Well there you have it, three books that you should definitely check out next time you're at your local comic shop. And let me know what you guys are reading by commenting below. As always please Like the official The Final Level page on Facebook, +1 us on Google+, and follow us at @TFLChicago on Twitter.

Keep on Reading.

Nu-Ray: Moonrise Kingdom, Madagascar 3, Avatar 3D

Tuesday has come so lets see what you can spend your money on this week in our weekly look at the newest in Blu-ray releases, Nu-Ray. This week we have the latest from an indie darling, a kids movie with the standard talking animals, and a 3D release of the movie that brought 3D to the forefront of the current movie landscape.

First up is this summers 'under the radar' hit Moonrise Kingdom. From acclaimed indie director Wes Anderson Moonrise Kingdom is set in 1965 and centers around a pair of young lovers who flee their New England town, which causes a local search party to fan out and find them. Starring Bruce Willis, Ed Norton, Francis McDormand, & (of course) Bill Murray this is Anderson at his hyper-stylized best. The sets are beautiful, the dialogue uber-witty, and the characters off centre, this movie never had a huge release but still managed to gross upwards of 60 million dollars worldwide. Some of the special features you get with this Blu-ray are: A Look Inside Moonrise Kingdom, Welcome to the Island of New Penzance - Bob Balaban offers quick looks at the actors and their roles as well as director Wes Anderson in several quirky in-character featurettes, Set Tour with Bill Murray, DVD, UltraViolet, & iTunes Digital Copy.

Next up the latest fare from Dreamworks the animated adventure Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. All your favorite characters from the Madagascar franchise are back and are still fighting to get home to their beloved Big Apple. Their journey takes them through Europe where they find the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent - 'Madagascar' style. Starring Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, & Jada Pinkett Smith this is your standard family cartoon movie. If you have children you will most likely be picking this up and then being subjected to numerous viewings, many back-to-back. The special features include: Get them to the Train game (Blu-ray exclusive), Animators' Corner (Blu-ray exclusive), Trivia Track (Blu-ray exclusive), Mad Music Mash-up, Deleted Scenes, Circus Acts, Big Top Cast, Filmmakers' Commentary, Making of How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular arena show world tour, Digital Copy & UltraViolet Copy of the film. Plus there is also a special combo pack that includes Marty's Rainbow Wig, yes an actual rainbow wig just like in the film!

Hey guys remember Avatar? Yes the 2009 James Cameron film that made all the money in the world is finally getting a 3D release on Blu-ray. Yes the movie that is basically responsible for all movies being in 3D these days in finally bringing the third dimension to your home. We all know the story a future space Marine is sent to an alien planet and transfers his mind into a huge blue cat alien body. He falls in love with the princess then leads a war against his own people to save the alien race. Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, & Sigourney Weaver. Now whatever you think of the movie itself the 3D was truly ground breaking and might make it worth a second view but that is only if you have a 3D TV at home. Panasonic is actually bundling this Blu-ray with it TV for this holiday season. Now either the special features are impossible to find or there just aren't any so beware of that folks. I would suggest you stay clear unless you really love this movie and have a 3D TV, even then if there are no special features on this release you know there will be a later version fully loaded with all the extras, so maybe wait for that.

Finally I have a little bonus release for you guys. One of my favorite movies is finally getting a Blu-ray release for it's 20th anniversary, A League of Their Own. Set during WWII and based on the actual all girls pro baseball league A League of Their Own is about two sisters who join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amidst their own growing rivalry. Starring Geena Davis, Lori Petty, & Tom Hanks and directed by Penny Marshall this is a classic movie that any baseball fan should own. The special features include: Director & Cast Commentary, Deleted Scenes, "This Used to be My Playground" - Madonna Music Video, & 'Nine Memorable Innings' - The Making of "A League of Their Own". Yes I know that is not anything more that the special edition DVD that is already out has but if you looking to upgrade or haven't bought it since VHS (like me) this is an essential grab.

Well that's it for this week kiddies hope Nu-Ray was helpful and informative. Let me know what what you guys are planning to pick up this week by commenting below and if you haven't already please Like the offical The Final Level page on Facebook, add us to your circle on Google+, and follow us at @TFLChicago on Twitter.

Now dim the lights and pass the popcorn.

Watching Dead: Episode 1 - 'Seed'

***This Will Contain Spoilers, It's a Freakin' Recap***
Welcome players (again the name for you fans of TFL out there) to the new weekly recap of America's favorite zombie-tastic T.V. show, The Walking Dead. Yes like a lot of America I am a fan of TWD, and have been on board since day one. I even watched the first episode when it leaked online a few days before it aired, so I've been a fan of the show since before day one. Fore those of you who have followed my New Book Wednesday posts, my weekly comic review, you also know I have been a fan of the comics for a while now too. So lets get started with a look at the first episode of season 3 of The Walking Dead, Seed.

Season 2 left our survivors on the run and desperate. With the fall of The Farm our group is essentially homeless and on the road again, on the run from ever encroaching hordes of 'walkers'. This is where season 3 starts. We see Rick, Laurie, Daryl, & the others charge into a house and begin to clear out whatever zombies are still in there. Almost as soon as they finish the see the beginnings of a horde they have been out running, so its time to go. Laurie is very pregnant and the weight of leading this group is getting to Rick in a big bad way. While on a small break from traveling Rick and Daryl go out to hunt for food and that is when they see it, The Prison. The survivors high-tail-it there and commence to clear out the outer yard, everyone seems happy with the new space and content to stay in the open field for a while, everyone except for Rick. He is dead set on getting to inner buildings of the prison where they can hopefully find ammo, food, and medicine, medicine that can help with the impending birth of his and Laurie's child. While all this is going on we get our first glimpse of Michonne, the shadowy hooded katana carrying character we got a very brief look at during the season 2 finale. She is slicing and dicing her way through a pharmacy in search of aspirin. Back to the prison and our group has gotten into an inner cell block and have started to set up camp but their still not done. Rick is dead set on pushing forward and finding the cafeteria and infirmary. We come back to Michonne and see that the aspirin is for a sick Andrea whom Michonne rescued last season. Andrea is pretty bad off and asking Michonne to leave her behind as an impending zombie wave is descending on the town where they are holed up. Michonne will have none of that and the two take off into the woods away from the town. Back in the prison the exploration has gone awry and in the end Hershel gets bit in the ankle. They finally find the cafeteria and Rick, in an attempt to save Hershel from 'walker-ism', quickly cuts off the bitten leg. As we pan up from that amputation we see a group of prisoners looking on, and then we hear one say "Holy shit." Fade to black, end of episode one.

The one word I would use to describe this episode is quiet. The entire opening scene is done completely without dialogue and in that scene we get to see just how far the group has come together over this past winter. The biggest difference we see off the bat is Carl. He charges into the house carrying a gun almost as big as he is and is an integral part of the zombie killing team. Even without a single word for those first few minutes you get a complete sense of how hard life has become and how each person is fitting into this new group dynamic. Now when I say this show was quiet that doesn't mean it was 'quiet'. There's plenty of action and some great zombie kills but for me this show lives in the quiet and small moments between characters; a song by a campfire, a loving couple checking each other for zombie scratches, even a fight between a married couple without yelling these are the things that I feel define the episode. These parts are done so soft and that when there the gears shift and there is a legitimate cacophony it really stands out. A couple other cool little moments in the show include the small flirtations between Beth and Carl, which even though she may be like four years older than him, seem to be sweet and adorable. The other maybe couple on the horizon is Carol and Daryl ( I love the rhyming names, I don't know why I just do). The moment they have atop the over turned prison bus was playful and gives you a glimpse into the evolution of a relationship, a relationship whose seeds were planted last season. In the end this was a pretty solid season premiere. While not quite as epic as I like my premieres it was strong and set a great tone for the upcoming season and in true TWD fashion the ending left you cursing at the television for just a few minutes more of episode.Best Walker Moment: When a zombie wearing a gas-mask gets the mask ripped off his face gets ripped off with it...I love this show.

More Than Meets the Eye....and Your Wallet.

1987, it seems like only yesterday right? If you, like me, were a child back then you got the chance to play with some of the best toys ever made like He-Man, G.I. Joe, & Thundercats. However one toy line seemed to stand head and shoulders above the rest, The Transformers. Those toys were my, and many others, favorites of The 80's. Sadly in 1987 the final season of The Transformers cartoon came to a conclusion in the U.S. with a 3 part episode that introduced The Headmasters. The Headmasters were Autobots and Decepticons whose heads transformed into robots while their body transformed into either vehicles or beast mode. During the finale we got to see the Autobots traveling through space in a huge floating base, but it true Transformers fashion it was more than just a base it was a Headmaster, Fortress Maximus the biggest Transformer ever. The Fortress Maximus action figure stood a whopping 2 feet tall and today is widely considered the be 'The Holy Grail' of Transformers toy collector-dom. I can only imagine being a kid and getting one for a birthday or Christmas gift as I never owned him.

Fast forward to the present. Toy maker Takara announced last week that they are re-issuing the Fortress Maximus toy under their 'Encore' line of Transformers action figures. Good news right? Now everyone that never got an FM as a kid can go out and buy one. Well not so fast. The MSRP for the re-issue FM is $350 and if you want it as soon as its released you'll need to pony up an extra $50. To give you a little background on the original Maximus and it's rareness an EMPTY BOX of the toy alone can fetch upwards of $300 in online auctions, even more if it still has the original styrofoam packing. FM came with so many separate parts that seeing a 100% complete one is extremely rare. That is why people tend to bid like crazy when they a see a piece they need. These days the hardest piece to find is the head which can fetch a rather hefty sum. Currently there is an auction for an original unused AFA 80 Graded Mint Fortress Maximus, and yes they even made a protective case for it. Current bid $2,950. That's more money than I currently have in my 401k for Pete's sake!

I guess my problem though currenly lies with Takara and Hasbro. They seem to think that all the kids who loved Transformers are grown up and making six figures, at least judging by the prices of their re-issues. In 1987 the sticker price for an FM was around $90, so I was expecting to pay around double that for the new offering. I understand that production costs have gone up since the 80's but $350 is just too much to spend on a toy, especially in today's economy. Now I will confess to my part in all this. I do have a lot of the TF re-issue line but I cannot justify buying buying them when the prices get into the hundreds of dollars. That is where I draw the line. The only bright spot in this whole thing is that the new FM will include The Master Sword, an extra that only came with the original Japanese version of the toy. September marked the 28th anniversary of the original Transformers cartoon, so in a way I guess we should be happy that there are still such die hard fans. Fans that petitioned Takara to re-issue Tranformers toys in the first place. And I should also be greatful that Takara listened. I guess this is just a case of different strokes for different folks. There are some people (like me) who will put their foot down and say no, and then there's people who will spend any amount of money as long as it says Transformers on the box. So if you have the money and the space for a Fortress Maximus, rejoice! If not don't fret, $350 can buy a slew of other Transformers. Until next time Cybertronians! 'Til All Are One.

Written by Juan "Mint-in-Box" Soria