Hollywood Roundup

Ah, springtime in the Rockies. In Colorado that means SNOW, road construction, and of course, the beginning of the blockbuster movie season! Haven’t seen all the biggies yet, but here are some thoughts on a couple of the more anticipated recent releases that I’ve seen:

The first heavy hitter of the season was the prequel “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, and I was really looking forward to it. Now, ”X-Men” it ain’t, but it’s got action, it’s got Liev Schreiber, who makes a GREAT villain, and it’s got Hugh Jackman, who’s built like the proverbial brick shit house (and at 40 no less, the bastard) and does a pretty good job reprising the role that made him a star. He’s almost good enough to make you forgive him for “Australia.” Almost. Sure, I would have liked to have had more character development. I would have liked to have seen a more original story. And I would have LOVED to see more Liev Schreiber (can we give this guy his own Wolfman movie??), but at the end of the day, “Wolverine” is exactly what it sets out to be; a loud, action-filled, summer money-maker. 7/10 slash marks for me.

Next up, another potential blockbuster, this time a sequel. “Terminator Salvation”, or "T4" as it’s come to be called, has Christian Bale as the “only-hope-for-the-future-of-mankind” hero, John Conner. The Terminator franchise and Bale were the two things that made me want to see this one. Won’t make THAT mistake again.

It’s almost redundant to describe the plot; take a look at any of the three other films in the franchise and you pretty much have it. This film lacks any originality at all. There’s not really a lot of storytelling going on; instead, there’s one long, loud, overdone action sequence after another. And come to think of it, it’s not even cool sci-fi action…it’s more like the battle scenes from “Saving Private Ryan” transferred to the bleak world of a desolate future. I thought sci-fi was supposed to be FUN?! Bale, one of my very favorite actors (and THE reigning Batman, thank you very much), manages to make John Conner dull, unfeeling…dare I say, almost robotic? And as a great example of the lack of characterizations in this film: Bryce Dallas Howard plays what appears to be John Conner’s pregnant wife, but it isn’t until the last 6 minutes…6 MINUTES!!...of the film that they even bother to tell us her name. Bad filmmaking. I’m rooting for the T-600’s. 5/10 crushed metal heads for this one.

But I’ve saved the best…and most surprising..for last. When I first saw the teaser trailer for the J. J. Abrams take on “Star Trek”, I remember turning to my friends in the theater and saying “it’s going to be a horrible movie, but I’ll have to see it.” Until the week before it opened, I knew it was going to be bad; I just hoped it would be bad AND fun. And when it opened and got rave reviews from critics and friends alike, I put it down to mass hysteria and STILL told myself that it’s probably bad, but at least it sounds like a good time at the movies.

Then I saw it. And WTF do you know…not only is it good…it’s GREAT! Where I was expecting a clichéd script, there is instead a LOT of storytelling going on; well-written, sometimes complicated (time shifts, whew), and often humorous. Where I was anticipating hokey sets and FX, there are amazing production values- the film looks amazing! Where I was sure we were going to get heavy-handed direction with little more than quick-edit action sequences, there are interesting camera angles, extremely well edited action scenes, and quiet, touching moments. And where I was certain I was going to be able to pick apart the Abercrombie and Fitch/porn actors chosen for the main roles, they are (to the last one) perfectly cast and completely watchable (with a special place in casting Heaven going to whomever had the foresight to see Simon Pegg as Scottie). The interesting thing about the film is that if you were a Trekkie already, the new “Star Trek” covers all the bases; it may look new, but it feels familiar. And to those that weren’t, it’s a perfect introduction to what should be profitable continuation of the franchise. 9/10 time warps for ‘Star Trek”.

That’s it for now…next up, Pixar’s at it again, and it promises to be a high-flying, fun adventure!! Till then, live long and…well, you know.

Meaning of Life

I had a great Christmas. The weather was beautiful, and I was off that whole week. My brother flew in early in the week so we were able to spend the couple of days before Christmas hanging out, shopping, catching up. As always my family went overboard and got me everything I asked for (even though I tried to take back my Christmas wish list because everything on it was too expensive). I left my parents’ house Christmas night and headed home, happy and looking forward to hooking up all the cool new stuff I got.

At 5:00 the next morning my phone starting ringing. It took me a couple of seconds to fully realize what I was hearing; by the time I did it had stopped ringing and there was a voice mail. It was from my brother. “Mom woke up this morning in horrible pain and not able to breathe. We’re at the emergency room and Dad and I need you to come down. NOW.” Panic mode sets in…I don’t even remember the trip to the hospital. Within half an hour they realized that there was a major problem and Mom was taken by ambulance to a bigger hospital for heart testing, and within the hour she was heading in for emergency open heart surgery. The layers of her aorta had split from the heart down to the abdomen, and she was bleeding out. The doctor told us most people don’t make it to surgery; even fewer make it through. He said that IF she made it, she would most likely suffer major brain damage, and that we should be prepared.

Prepared? I haven’t experienced many things in my life that were worse than the helpless, hopeless feeling I had sitting around in a hospital waiting to see if a loved one lived through surgery- you can’t be prepared. I tried to think positively, but other things kept sneaking in there: when was I going to be able to help my dad clean out her clothes? What would Christmas be like next year without her there? How was I going to tell our family, and her friends? And would my Dad be OK without her? But finally, the news; the surgery went well and she’s responding to questions; no apparent brain damage. I don’t remember feeling happy. I remember feeling completely, totally drained. True happiness came when I woke up the next morning and headed out to the hospital knowing that my Mom was still with us.

I visited her today (at home!) and she’s doing GREAT- still some pain and a bad day every now and then, but she’ll get there. It’s been 3 weeks since that early morning call the day after Christmas, and I’m just now starting to feel…safe? hopeful? that the worst is behind us. The fears I had as we waited for news that day are too hard to voice, and they've been with me for long enough; I’m hoping that by leaving them on this page I can forget them, and move forward.

I’ll always be thankful that my brother and Dad were there; they kept me centered so we could take care of things. And to my friends who called or wrote to offer their support; who sat with me in the cafeteria; who played video games with me in the waiting room; and who invited me over to just hang out and watch TV so I could have a “normal” night…THANK YOU. And as clichéd as it sounds…please let the people in your life who mean something to you know that you care. I found out how fast that chance slips away.

Alright, enough of that- no more depressing posts for a while, I promise! It’s a New Year; I’ve yet to compile my Second Annual “Best Of” list for 2008, and there are new movies to review AND Oscar picks to be had. Look for those soon, and in the meantime…here’s to a healthy and happy 2009!!