Movie Night June 30, 2011

Tonight I saw Transformers Dark of the Moon.

I have read a bunch of reviews and some people are so angry about this movie. Why people are looling for symbolism in this movie is beyond me. You have to know what you are getting yourself into, this is not Shakespeare. It's a movie based on cartoons and kid's toys from the 1980's.

Would it be too much to ask the movie theater to group the 3D ads and promos together so the glasses don't have to keep going on and off? We paid extra for this, don't give me a headache.

The overboard product placement is overboard, it's understandable the producers would want to defray some costs but really? I get that GM is involved in a big way, but do me a favor and introduce a car I have not seen yet and if you pay attention you will notice that al most every trashed car is a Ford product. Cisco and Lenovo show up in every scene where there is a computer or phone, but Waste Management? Seriously...Waste Management?!?! Felt like I was watching that episode of Undercover Boss.

I was pleasantly surprised by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. I had expected more of the woodenness that Gisele Bundchen brought to Taxi with Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah. There was actually some life there, underutilized as it was. The wooden one is Tyrese Gibson, his performance says, 'I wanted the money.' from beginning to end.

Nice to see Alan Tyduk (Serenity and 28 Days) have some fun with John Tuturro. These two looked like they had some fun while making this. John Malkovich channels his inner George Hamilton and I was hoping Frances McDormand would read her lines in her Fargo accent. Ken Jeong proves yet again that he can do creepy and weird in an almost endearing way. And could someone give Julie White her due, she is funny.

And nice to see a city other than New York taking the brunt of the cranky alien  attitude.

And it is long (2 ½ hours plus previews), don't get the large soda and make sure to completely drain your bladder before entering the theater.

And to the guy washing his feet in the bathroom, go home and do that. No one needs to see that.

As I said I'm not sold on the 3D but it is definitely worth seeing if you want some summer fun and fireworks.

Movie Night June 17, 2011

Green Lantern 3D

Right off the bat I am not sold on the 3D for this. It shows in some places that it was converted after filming. And some scenes that would have benefited from the 3D treatment were in 2D.

The film is campy at times, not horrendously, but it needs to be campy to tell this story. I don't think you could enjoy a movie where the central character can make his thoughts into reality without a little dance into Campytown.

Ryan Reynolds plays Ryan Reynolds for the most part and that's not a bad thing. And seriously what do Canadians feed their children! Some of his performance seems tongue in cheek especially when it comes to serious moments in the suit, you can rel he's smiling on the inside. I give him a lot of credit since I would guess 80 to 90% of what he did was in front of a green screen by himself. 

Blake Lively plays Blake Lively and I am beginning to think her last name is a misnomer, there wasn't much in the way of 'lively' in her performance. Whether she is playing Serena on Gossip Girl or that chick from the Traveling Pants movie (and yes I saw it), or the Senator's daughter here, she acts like she just took a pill or did a shot of Nyquil.

Peter Sarsgaard hopefully was not playing himself. His character is creepy and insecure. His performance pulled me in and I wonder if I would react any differently if I were handed some super powers after touching an alien.

The best of the CGI money was spent on bringing Paralac to life. There is one scene, that didn't look 3D, where it really appeared as though this creature made of smoke and fire is moving around a city. Creepily life like if such a thing exists and this is one person who is hoping it doesn't. 

Not sure about this, I even checked IMDB, but I think I heard Majel Barrett's voice coming out of one of the immortals.

I think it would be fun if you heard Michael Clarke Duncan's voice come out of the not so big and brawny character. It's like he gets voice typecast.

And it wouldn't be a movie made in this new millenium if you couldn't spot the setup for the sequel. A sequel that I imagine will be green-lighted on Monday after the box office receipts are in. And when they make I will go, hopefully to see something that was filmed in 3D not converted after.

Movie Night 6/11/11

Super 8

ET has grown up, he is really pissed off and wants to go home.

It looks and feels like a movie from the 70's and when the music builds the tension there is a payoff. None of this crap where you think something is going to happen and nothing does.

I smiled as I saw Gremlins, Pintos, bell bottoms and feathered hair. I noticed that there was an analog quality to the picture, it brought me back to the mindset of the period, the Cold War and all that.

The computer generated stuff is almost completely seamless. Happily there is no version of this in 3D.

Sure you could draw some parallels between Super 8 and E.T. The Extraterrestrial but those parallels are pretty tenuous when you see it.

The kids are amazing. There is the responsible sensitive young male lead played by Joel Courtney. Elle Fanning as the pretty girl from the bad side of the tracks, who prior to getting involved with these boys was on her way to dancing on a pole for tips.. The husky kid, Riley Griffiths, with anger management issues. (Did South Park cement the 'Cartman' archtype of big, angry and mouthy?) And then we have the kid with braces, Ryan Lee, who likes to blow everything up, who will be arrested for arson in 10 years.

Kyle Chandler plays the widower cop father of Joe and bridges the gap between being responsible for the whole town and being responsible for his son. He also looks great. Ron Eldard, on the other hand, plays the father to Elle Fanning's Alice and he plays an awful wretch of a man well. And what happened to him, he and Kyle Chandler are the same age but appear to be decades apart.

And then we have the people-devouring alien and his little cubes. He would have been creepy if this had been made in 1979, being 2010 he is something of nightmares. Seriously, I have seen this thing chasing me on more than one occasion deep in the night.

My hat is off to J.J. Abrams and Steven Speilberg for bringing this to life, it felt original and new yet decidedly 70's. I look forward to whatever they decide to make in the future and hope this wasn't a one time deal.

The audience actually clapped at the end, something that I have only witnessed a few times. Go see it, I doubt you will be disappointed. Two thumbs up.

Movie night - June 4th, 2011

I went to see X-Men: First Class. I thought it was really well done and here are my thoughts:
1. Why no 3D? A lot of the effects, especially the ones for Havoc and Azazel would have been much cooler in 3D.
2. They cast January Jones as Emma Frost. Her eyes are lifeless. They show something once through the whole film.
3. I love me some cameos. You get Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Rebecca Romjin as a horny Mystique and Ray Wise from Twin Peaks as the Secretary of State.
4. Some big names; Kevin Bacon and Oliver Platt. (I may be stretching for that one)
5. A lot of names we will hear more from; James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Rose Byrne and Zoe Kravitz.
The story may have veered a bit on some points setup in the other films but it all made sense. I would recommend going and just cross your fingers there isn't a cranky toddler up way past her bed time two rows behind you.