Movie Review: The Zero Theorem (2013)

Qohen Leth(Christoph Waltz) is a talented computer operator in a futuristic world.  Qohen lives a very isolated life and it's due to his faith that he will be receiving a phone call.  He doesn't know when, so he has centered his life around working and waiting for the phone call.

Qohen is put on a project by Management(Matt Damon) to prove the Zero Theorem.  Proof that at if the universe ends, there truly is nothing.  The film explores the faith of people and what drives them.  It is explored wonderfully as you see Qohen giving up on experiences that would make him a happier person, but he needs to know what that phone call is.

The visuals in director Terry Gilliam's film help push the faith drive.  Qohen lives in an abandoned church with eyes on him at all time, much how people feel with religion.  The biggest visual metaphor would be the giant crucifix with Jesus' head removed and replaced with a camera.

The pace of the movie wasn't the fastest but overall I didn't get bored watching, especially with Christoph Waltz in the lead role.  Watching him deal with love, friendship, trying new foods and the like felt very organic.  Melanie Thierry as Bainsley was a delight to watch as well as her relationship with Qohen was played out incredibly well.  Lucas Hedges as Bob started off as someone I really did not like, but he turned out to be the most reasonable voice of the film.

On a scale of one to five, "The Zero Theorem" recieves three and a half Pile Drivers.

Please comment below to let us know what you think of "The Zero Theorem."

This blog is from one of my earlier posts on Cinema Head Cheese and you can read more of my movie reviews there.

Maskerpiece Theatre is sponsored by MoviePass. See unlimited movies at a theater near you for a low monthly rate.

You can also support our show by using our Amazon banners or donating on our Support Us page.

Movie Review: Primer (2004)

Aaron(Shane Carruth) and Abe(David Sullivan) have an invention.  They don't know what it is or what it does, but they know they have something.  They find out they have a time machine that makes it possible to go back a short time in the past.  The two have issues with how to use the time that they now have.

Primer is the type of movie that puts your brain into think mode.  I'm actually going to watch it again just so that I can help myself piece together the amount of times the two friends use the time machine.

The camera shots are really weird in this movie.  The opening scene is a shot from the ceiling angled down with a light in in the upper portion of the screen and the garage door in the background.  The next scene in the kitchen/dining area has the camera on the counter top, with the edge of the counter top showing.  There were other shots that just had too much showing of people's backs or other objects in the foreground that weren't vital for the scene.  By no means, am I an expert as far as directing goes, but there were so many scenes that were visually bothersome and it took away from the movie-watching experience.

I did enjoy Primer and do recommend it for you time travel buffs out there.  This is one of the more of how I think time travel would be treated if invented by a couple of young scientific minds.  One that is eager for the science, the other eager for the results.  Watch it a couple times, I'm about to.

As of first watching, I'm giving Primer 3.5 out of 5 Pile Drivers.

Let us know what you think about Primer in the comments below.

This post is from one of my earlier blogs on Cinema Head Cheese and you can read more of my movie reviews there.

Maskerpiece Theatre is sponsored by MoviePass. See unlimited movies at a theater near you for a low monthly rate.

You can also support our show by using our Amazon banners or donating on our Support Us page.

Comic Book Review: Star Wars #12 - Marvel Comics (2015)

Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Stuart Immonen

On the smuggler's moon of Nar Shadaa, Luke is in Grakkus the Hutt's gladiator arena against the monster known as Kongo the Disembowler.  Chewbacca and C-3PO are on the planet as well but have been embroiled in a fight a
gainst a bounty hunter named Dengar.  Han Solo, Princess Leia and Han's "wife" Sana have just arrived onto the infamous moon and see what is happening with Chewie, C-3PO and Dengar.  We also find out there's more to the Gamemaster than anyone had originally imagined.

Luke is in a fight for his life but the odds quickly change into his favor.  Imperial forces are raiding Grakkus the Hutt's arena and Luke's allies are on the way.  There's so much going on all at once, it's tough to type up a review.  Kudos to Jason Aaron for crafting such an awesome tale.  Twelve issues in and the action has been incredible.

I apparently don't know too much about how EMPs impact the Star Wars universe.  I guess the electronics target blasters, communicators and shock collars.  Light sabers and droids are fine, so that works out well for our heroes.  It was also kind of fun seeing Chewbacca and Princess Leia weilding the light sabers as well.

I like the direction of the Gamemaster.  He is more than just a trainer and it looks like we will see plenty more of him.  He looks a bit like a professional wrestler with an Assassins Creed gimmick but it still seems to work.

I absolutely love this series.  Never a dull moment and Jason Aaron is using dialogue that makes you feel like you actually hear the characters' voices.  That, coupled with Stuart Immonen's amazing artwork, has made this a monthly must-buy.

What are your thoughts on the Star Wars comic books?  What other comic books would you like the crew at Maskerpiece Theatre review?  Please let us know in comments below.

Maskerpiece Theatre is sponsored by MoviePass. See unlimited movies at a theater near you for a low monthly rate.

You can also support our show by using our Amazon banners or donating on our Support Us page.

Comic Book Review - Chewbacca #1 - Marvel Comics

Written by: Gerry Duggan

Art by: Phil Noto

Chewbacca is stranded on a planet, needing a part for his ship.  While he is out "earning" the money for the part, he meets Zarro, an escapee from a nearby prison labor camp who needs help rescuing her father and others.

I have to admit, I was a little hesitant picking up this first issue.  I was fearing we would see Chewbacca thought balloons because how else are we to know what's going on?  Luckily Gerry Duggan knows how to write a Chewbacca book and this issue is basically through Zarro's world view.

Zarro and her father were imprisoned due to Dad's debts.  They have been told they will work off the debt but nobody really feels they are truly getting out of there.  So with dear old Dad's help, Zarro escapes and steals the closest speeder she can find and heads to town.  Everyone in town recognizes the speeder as coming from Jaum's prison camp and apparently, nobody messes with Jaum.

Now here's where Zarro meets Chewbacca.  She follows him back to his ship and spends time coaxing him into helping her rescue her father and her friends.  The Wookie roars totally work with the story as they're sized just right to convey what Chewie is thinking.  Unlike other characters in the Star Wars universe, Zarro has no idea what Chewbacca is saying so she is reading his body language, just like the reader.  

This is a fun book and worth checking out if you liked Chewbacca in the Star Wars films.  If not(yeah, I hear there's people who haven't seen the films, weird) you should watch the movies first to get a sense of Chewbacca the character.