Well friends, the summertime movie season is off and running! I’ve caught up with a few of the more recent offerings and I’ve found quite a lot to like in what’s been- up to now– a year with some highly anticipated releases but very little to love. So, here’s a roundup of some recently seen releases:
“Wanted” is an action flick starring James McAvoy as an underachieving loser working in a dead-end job who suddenly finds himself thrown into the mysterious world of “The Fraternity,” an uber-secret society of assassins. The group is headed by Morgan Freeman, and Angelina Jolie is the seasoned veteran who shows the newbie the ropes.
I went in to this one expecting the standard shoot-em-up, chase-em-down action adventure, but it turns out there’s a bit more to it than that. The members of The Fraternity possess some unusual powers, secret identities are revealed, and a couple of interesting twists keep the story moving along. Jolie and Freeman may be the “big” names, but the real reasons to see “Wanted” are James McAvoy (I’m tellin’ ya, he’s gonna be HUGE!), and the FX. Sure, there are plot holes big enough to drive trucks through, and there isn’t a whole lot of characterization, but if you’re a fan of these actors and of the genre, “Wanted” is a fun, adrenaline-filled step above the standard “action flick” fare.
Next up, the big red guy and his rag-tag team of mutant sidekicks is back in “Hellboy 2”. If you’ve seen and liked the original (and I did), then this one’s right up your alley. HB2 is one of those big, loud, rip-roaring, FX-filled spectacles that wants to do nothing more than entertain you for couple of hours. Mission accomplished. While I had a great time at this one, I was hoping for a bit more from del Toro than the standard sequel that overlooks character development in favor of huge set pieces overstuffed with FX. That said, it’s a great way to spend an afternoon.
With “WALL-E”, Pixar strikes gold (Oscar pun implied and intended) yet again with this simple story of a lonely ‘bot that finds love, defeats the bad guys, and saves the Earth, all while keeping us smiling and teaching us a thing or two about ourselves and our planet. The CGI animation is spectacular, with scenes and details that look SO realistic that you might not believe they’re CG. There are a couple of clever references to previous Pixar features, and I found myself admiring the beautiful original score by Thomas Newman many times throughout the film. “WALL-E” is smart, funny, inventive and entertaining…and though it may be too subtle for the little ones to catch, there’s a message (or two) there that we can all learn from.
And now, to my small band of movie-going friends, a personal note: Let’s get this out of the way right now…you will hate “Mamma Mia”. You will not like the singing. You will not like the dancing. You will not like Meryl Streep (I thought she was a riot- quirky, funny, moving, belting out tunes like a Broadway vet- is there any part this woman can’t play!?), you will not like a singing Pierce Brosnan (wait…neither did I), and you will not like the silly ABBA songs that make up the soundtrack. This film is sappy and short on characters, and the thin storyline exists only to support the songs. And yet- it’s bright, it’s funny, it looks great (the Greek isle locations are gorgeous), it has enjoyable supporting performances (Christine Baranski and Julie Walters are hilarious), and it does exactly what it sets out to do, which is to have a little fun with us and send us on our way. Now if I could just get “Dancing Queen” out of my head…
And that’s it for now. As I’m putting this entry “to bed” I’m getting ready to head out with friends to a midnight movie premiere. I won’t reveal too much just yet…let’s just say it promises to be an interesting Knight.
“Wanted” is an action flick starring James McAvoy as an underachieving loser working in a dead-end job who suddenly finds himself thrown into the mysterious world of “The Fraternity,” an uber-secret society of assassins. The group is headed by Morgan Freeman, and Angelina Jolie is the seasoned veteran who shows the newbie the ropes.
I went in to this one expecting the standard shoot-em-up, chase-em-down action adventure, but it turns out there’s a bit more to it than that. The members of The Fraternity possess some unusual powers, secret identities are revealed, and a couple of interesting twists keep the story moving along. Jolie and Freeman may be the “big” names, but the real reasons to see “Wanted” are James McAvoy (I’m tellin’ ya, he’s gonna be HUGE!), and the FX. Sure, there are plot holes big enough to drive trucks through, and there isn’t a whole lot of characterization, but if you’re a fan of these actors and of the genre, “Wanted” is a fun, adrenaline-filled step above the standard “action flick” fare.
Next up, the big red guy and his rag-tag team of mutant sidekicks is back in “Hellboy 2”. If you’ve seen and liked the original (and I did), then this one’s right up your alley. HB2 is one of those big, loud, rip-roaring, FX-filled spectacles that wants to do nothing more than entertain you for couple of hours. Mission accomplished. While I had a great time at this one, I was hoping for a bit more from del Toro than the standard sequel that overlooks character development in favor of huge set pieces overstuffed with FX. That said, it’s a great way to spend an afternoon.
With “WALL-E”, Pixar strikes gold (Oscar pun implied and intended) yet again with this simple story of a lonely ‘bot that finds love, defeats the bad guys, and saves the Earth, all while keeping us smiling and teaching us a thing or two about ourselves and our planet. The CGI animation is spectacular, with scenes and details that look SO realistic that you might not believe they’re CG. There are a couple of clever references to previous Pixar features, and I found myself admiring the beautiful original score by Thomas Newman many times throughout the film. “WALL-E” is smart, funny, inventive and entertaining…and though it may be too subtle for the little ones to catch, there’s a message (or two) there that we can all learn from.
And now, to my small band of movie-going friends, a personal note: Let’s get this out of the way right now…you will hate “Mamma Mia”. You will not like the singing. You will not like the dancing. You will not like Meryl Streep (I thought she was a riot- quirky, funny, moving, belting out tunes like a Broadway vet- is there any part this woman can’t play!?), you will not like a singing Pierce Brosnan (wait…neither did I), and you will not like the silly ABBA songs that make up the soundtrack. This film is sappy and short on characters, and the thin storyline exists only to support the songs. And yet- it’s bright, it’s funny, it looks great (the Greek isle locations are gorgeous), it has enjoyable supporting performances (Christine Baranski and Julie Walters are hilarious), and it does exactly what it sets out to do, which is to have a little fun with us and send us on our way. Now if I could just get “Dancing Queen” out of my head…
And that’s it for now. As I’m putting this entry “to bed” I’m getting ready to head out with friends to a midnight movie premiere. I won’t reveal too much just yet…let’s just say it promises to be an interesting Knight.
1 comment:
Of cours ehe's going to HUGE, he workes with keira knightly every movie.
THE DARK KNIGHTLY
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