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.
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.
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