I’m not a huge X-Men fan. I’ve seen all the movies and they’re alright. (Except X-Men 3. That Famke Janssen scared the crap out of me!) Other than that, never read the comics or watched the cartoons. So I came to this movie with few expectations. That usually helps me enjoy a movie more and this was no exception.
The Basics: It’s really back to the beginning with this origin story. Charles Xavier (Professor X) is a young Oxford grad student studying mutations. After being contacted by the CIA, he begins to track down other mutants including Erik Lensherr (Magneto). Of course, nothing’s that easy and pretty soon prejudice, fear, and manical baddies complicate things. Read the rest of this entry »
Another trailer is out. They just keep getting more epic! (epicer?) And adding new footage as well.
Besides sheer bliss, I have two responses to this latest peek; 1. A tiny bit of concern with how they have messed with the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort. How Voldermort dies was very brilliantly and subtly developed by Rowling through all seven books. I’m talking about how Harry stays true to his character and values to the end, not that nonsense about who owns the Elder Wand. I’ll be upset if the filmmakers abandon that in order to “up the ante”. 2. Gratitude that the filmmakers saw the value in getting the finest actors in Britain to play the adult roles and that those actors agreed to take the parts even though they were often in tiny roles supporting underage actors. If rumor serves, most of them will get their moments in this finale. Obviously, Alan Rickman will shine but just look at Julie Walters about to… OK, no spoilers for those who don’t know. Take a peek. HP7P2 opens July 15th! Read the rest of this entry »
Is JJ Abrams the new Steven Spielberg? Possibly. He is certainly an outstanding storyteller. He can come up with fantastic concepts (Lost, Alias). He can take us on heart-pounding adventures (Mission Impossible 3) that still resonate emotionally (Star Trek). And in the tradition of Spielberg, all his great characters have daddy issues. (He even used that as an episode title.) So Super 8 is poised to be this generations E.T. Did it succeed? The jury’s still out.
The Basics: In 1979, a group of young teens accidentally capture the crash of a U.S. Air Force train on film while shooting a zombie flick. In the aftermath of the crash, bizarre events and missing person cases spread like a plague around the small town while the military takes over without offering any answers or help. Read the rest of this entry »
As Doctor Who is my new obsession, I’ve been wanting to start reviewing episodes. I’ve seen the whole 1st season (of the New Series) and all of seasons 5 & 6 (so far) but although the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) is my favorite (”You never forget your first Doctor.”), I’ve only seen a smattering of seasons 2-4. This 2 parter was one of the first Doctor Who episodes I watched. Having seen it again recently while introducing my friends to the series, I decided to start my reviews here. (Enough parenthesis for ya?)
The Basics: The Doctor and current companion, Donna, answer a call for help in a massive library that is actually a man-made planet. There they find a team on expedition led by Professor River Song (Alex Kingston), a computer that has “saved” 4022 people, a child who may or may not be in charge of the library, and swarms of flesh-eating aliens in the shadows. Ya know, typical Doctor Who fare. Read the rest of this entry »
No, this isn’t the Edward Norton/Jessica Biel period romance. (Liked that one, though.) This is an animated film fromSylvain Chomet, the director of The Triplets of Belleville. (Another one I liked.)
The Basics: This French (though largely without dialogue) animation follows the relationship of a lonely travelling magician and a young girl.
What I Liked: The movie is really beautiful. The animation and landscapes are enchanting. There are some fun and quirky characters, my fav being the tipsy Scotsman. And there was a sad, sweet quality to the story.
What I Didn’t Like: I really wanted to like this movie, and while there were many nuances that were fascinating, I found it difficult to really follow what was happening. The Triplets of Belleville had a similar problem of communicating without words but there was much more action (and comedy) to that movie. The Illusionist has a decidely more meloncholy feel. And that feel made it difficult to understand what was happening without dialogue.
Bottom Line: This is a really gorgeous movie in look and feel but I had a hard time following the central relationship. Add to that the downer ending (rarely to my liking) and it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
The fourth installment of the Pirates franchise has Johnny Depp & a few minor characters returning while picking up a lot of new players. Have they been able to capture the magic again?
The Basics: Let’s start with a rundown of the previous Pirates movies. I really enjoyed the original, The Curse of the Black Pearl. Sure, it had some script/pacing problems in the third act. But at its heart it was a pretty good mindless action movie. Then adding Johnny Depp’s serendipitous turn as Jack Sparrow (that’s Captain Jack Sparrow) turned it into a blockbuster and a blast! Read the rest of this entry »
Yes, OK, OK, OK, OK. Dalek fleet. Three of us. Minimum twelve thousand battleships armed to the teeth. Aaaah! But we’ve got surprise on our side. They’ll never expect three people to attack twelve thousand Dalek battleships. Cause we’d be killed instantly, so it would be a very short surprise.
