Posts Tagged ‘New Release’

August11

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

By: Dan

I don’t normally walk out of a movie theater due to a film being so terrible because I can typically find something positive and worth watching in most movies. I am a positive guy and can really appreciate the movie-making process to the point of never really hating a movie. This movie absolutely PUSHED the limits of my positivity.

Seriously, there was nothing good about this film. Now, I don’t often say that about any film or use those kinds of descriptive words…but really folks, this movie isn’t worth anything. I saw this movie with my wife and another couple and if it wasn’t for our dear friendship with this couple, I would have wholeheartedly objected to even considering seeing this movie. The story was laughable, the characters were boring, the CGI was silly, and the whole concept was just pathetic.

It should have been a HUGE warning sign to Brendan Fraser and the rest of the cast when Rachel Weisz decided not to reprise her role after reading the script. Yeah, I agree with her. I can imagine her reading the script and laughing while she threw it in the trash can. The characters were so cliche and boring, and at times, you could visibly see the uncomfortable-ness in Brendan as he tried to resurrect a character that wasn’t great enough to begin with and try and feign some chemistry with an actress not even half the caliber as Weisz. By the way, isn’t about time for Brendan to try and step out of the “family friendly” roles for a bit? He plays basically the same guy in every movie, and all with the same haircut. I’m just saying.

Maria Bello stepped in to replace Rachel and performed just as expected, forgettable and cheap. There was nothing about her role that was unique, she was a half-as-talented blond version of Weisz with a bad British accent. The directors even tried to throw in a little joke at the beginning about her character “becoming a completely new person” as to try and get us to laugh and forget that we’re supposed to believe that THIS IS THE SAME PERSON!

Even the CGI, which has always been pretty cool in the Mummy world, was over the top. They “wow’ed” us with the “sand-time” and “peeling-away-flesh-and-particles” effects in the first Mummy and tried to keep it going in the 2nd, but in this movie, it just feels old and tried. We get it, you’ve perfected the art of blowing sand and eroding particles…what else do you have? Is that it?

The only highlight for me throughout the entire film was John Hannah. Once again he reprises his role as the comic-relief brother-in-law Jonathan, who always manages to bring the audience back to earth with his witty one-liners, all the while making fun of himself and the movie…it’s very subtle. Without him in this movie, I might have walked out. He doesn’t save the movie or even make it for me, he just kept me in my seat and saved me $9 of waste.

Before you rip me a new one, let me tell you that I did like the original Mummy. I thought the action was great, the “sand-time” CGI was new and cool looking (the first time it was cool, not the 132nd time the producers used it), the chemistry between Fraser and Weisz was spot-on, and the story, although out of this world, was entertaining. To me, this movie was a cash-cow-cop-out. It was nothing more than a summer sequel to a franchise that was over after it started. Don’t waste your time or your money.

Content Warning: Rated PG-13 for adventure action and violence. There are a lot of pointless battle scenes involving dead creatures, so no real blood.

Posted in: Reviews7 comments

July16

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

By: Dan

My wife and I saw the first Hellboy on a whim, not really knowing what to expect, not knowing who Guillermo Del Toro was (I’m sure I just lost some of you), not even knowing it was based on a comic book, and after we walked out, we actually both liked it. Being both artists, I think the visuals really appealed to us and the story wasn’t too overly dramatic and “intentionally-too-serious,” it actually made us laugh out loud a few times. As we shared our enjoyment of the film with others, we noticed a trend: no one knew what we were talking about. People left and right were looking at us with very puzzled faces, apparently they EVEN MORE hadn’t heard of Hellboy or the world that it is.

Armed with that experience, I walked into Hellboy II, sans my wife as she later told me that she didn’t like it THAT much to see a sequel, with open eyes and expecting to enjoy myself and behold another visual explosion from the now-famous Del Toro. I went on opening night with a couple of buds and we were the first in line. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a “waiting-in-line” movie, but after about 10 minutes of waiting, the line quickly built and I was glad that we arrived early. It was evident that I was not the only one that enjoyed the first movie or Del Toro, and after a few awkward social “what-do-I-do” situations involving overly-excited-older-Hellboy-fans, we made our way to the perfect seat.

Just like the first movie, Hellboy II was a visual masterpiece of effects, creatures, colors, and artistry that we’ve all come to love from Del Toro. I love the different worlds he creates within his movies, worlds that were probably realized out of some crazy dream. Seriously, the world of Hellboy is like nothing else I’ve seen visually in a long time. Sure, it has cities and cityscapes like every other set, but it’s when Hellboy walks into the troll market and exposes the real world behind the curtain, that we get to really digest all of what Del Toro wants to feed us visually. I don’t want to try and overstate how beautiful his films are, but even if the story, for me, fades a little, I am still have been blown away by what he brings to the table. I want to be a fly on the wall when he’s brainstorming!

One of the surprising aspects of the Hellboy franchise is the humor. I think a lot of comic book movies miss the mark when it comes to humor. Sure, most of the comic book movies blow me away with their imagination, story, character, effects, just shear immensity, but there are times when I think they can take themselves too seriously and try to shove a soap-opera-esque drama down our throats, when all I really would like to have is a bit of humor. I laughed quite a few times out loud. I like Ron Perlman’s take on Hellboy, the cigar-smoking, “crap” saying, fight first ask questions later superhero who says what he thinks when he thinks it. I think Guillermo does a great job of not taking himself too seriously and worrying himself with creating a comic book movie that is supposed to based somehow in reality. Especially in this installment, I really felt that he allowed the characters to develop more and he gave us more insight into who they are as opposed to just leaving us with an “action-figure” knowledge of them. He showed more of their personalities, their fears, their passion, their sacrifice, their convictions, and ultimately, their humanity. (I know they aren’t exactly human, but you understand what I mean)

I didn’t think the movie was as good as the first one, in story and in the overall feel, but to me, it’s always hard to compare the “first” of any series of anything to the rest. One of the highlights to me from the first movie was Abe Sapien’s character. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Dan, he’s in this movie as well, he’s the same guy” and I would agree, but the one difference between the first movie and this one is that in the first Hellboy, Doug Jones portrays Abe Sapien as the actor, the literal body for Abe, but David Hyde Pierce actually voiced him. This go around, Del Toro opted for Doug Jones to complete the character by letting him not only be the body of Sapien but he also voiced him. To me, that was a mistake. David Hyde Pierce added a cynical but sweet humor to Sapien’s character the first go around and I don’t think Doug Jones totally pulled it off. To me, not having his wit and sarcasm weakened Sapien’s character and his whole persona. It wasn’t enough to ruin the movie for me, but it’s definitely a noticeable difference in the two movies.

Del Toro is quickly moving up the movie ladder and with the recent news of him helming the next two Hobbit movies, his stock is surely to rise sky high. There wasn’t much left unanswered to garnish a third movie, but who knows. In this day in age, they can make a trilogy out of anything, heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw Norbit 2 and Norbit 3. Either way, if you knew nothing about Hellboy and walked into the movie, you don’t have to worry, they do a decent job of providing some basic background story to lay the foundation. It’s a great summer movie to sit back and enjoy with some popcorn and candy and be glad that you don’t fight goblins, trolls, or evil mystic princes who need haircuts.

Content Warning: Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and some language. There are some big fights and action, but hardly any blood, and the language is pretty sparse. The creatures may be too much for the little kids though.

Posted in: Reviews1 comments

May9

Iron Man

By: Dan

Iron Man is the best super-hero movie I’ve seen in a long time, perhaps since Batman Begins. It’s funny, romantic, witty, action packed, everything you would want in a summer blockbuster. I thought the casting was excellent, the delivery was phenomenal, the pace was smooth, and the direction was flawless. I sincerely appreciated every aspect of the movie. There wasn’t one moment in the film where I was bored or left wanting something more, it was, as many people are saying, an all-around great film!

I must be honest and admit that when I first heard that RDJ (Robert Downey Jr.) was going to play Iron Man, I was curious about the choice. That’s not to say that I didn’t or do not like RDJ, it’s just that he’s been off the radar for a while, and I didn’t know whether this movie would be the best “comeback movie” for him or not. And before you guys say anything, I know, I was definitely proven wrong. I literally, after seeing the movie, can’t think of a better actor I would want to play Tony Stark than RDJ. He had the perfect mix of abrasiveness, charm, sarcasm, wit, and arrogance to play someone as notable as Tony Stark. I’m sure you obsessed comic book fans will agree.

One of the best parts of Iron Man was the show-stopping sequences of special effects. The gadgetry and creative weaponry on display were amazing. I know there are a lot of special effects in blockbuster movies and it’s normally not worth mentioning, but in this movie, the effects weren’t overdone or out of sync with the rest of the action going on in the scene. I thought it flowed very smoothly with the rest of the film.

There is definitely a subtle under current running throughout the movie that deals with war and technology and America’s view and stance in the “War on Terrorism.” I didn’t think it was overly anti-war or anything, but it was very apparent by numerous scenes where and how the director and/or actors felt about our current situation in the Middle East. It was a little disheartening to see the “stereotypical” Middle Eastern terrorists hiding out in the caves; it seemed a little too cliche. It wasn’t a detractor from the movie for me, it was just another “Americanized” view of terrorists that we’ve all seen.

Overall, it was an absolute joy of a movie. I don’t think I’ve seen such a complete movie, in that every aspect seemed to hit the nail on the head in regards to excellence, in a long time. From the sound, to the score, to the story, to the actors, to the direction, to the effects, to the emotion, to the comic book excitement…the whole movie just blew me away!

Oh, and by the way, if you haven’t seen it yet, stick around after the credits, you won’t be sorry.

Content Warning: Rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content. There were a few scenes that showed Tony Stark’s “way with women” that were a bit surprising in their sexuality, but nothing too over the top. It reminded me of Transformers in that it had scenes that intentionally were sexual, just so that they could satisfy that component of a summer PG-13 comic book movie…

Posted in: Reviews9 comments

February12

There Will Be Blood (R)

By: Dan

I can say, without taking a single breath, that There Will Be Blood is the best movie I have seen in the last 2 years. Nothing that has come out of Hollywood or Bollywood has even attempted to take a step towards the greatness that this movie personifies and is. This movie is just great…period.

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I really had no idea what to expect. I am a huge Daniel Day-Lewis fan, and have been since Last of the Mohicans (“I will find you!”), and when I saw that he was in this movie, and I heard his voice…I guess I was initially expecting some sort of old “western” style Gangs of New York movie. I tagged it as a movie that would be slow going at first, introducing characters, learning about back stories through flashbacks, and one that would ultimately be building up to a huge showdown in the end where Daniel Day-Lewis would heroically, and violently, be killed in some artistic and graphic way…

…I’m not going to say if I was right or not and spoil the movie, but let’s just say that Daniel Day-Lewis has moved up to my Top 3 Actors list after this performance. I absolutely fell in love with his character. He’s a selfish and greedy oil business man who is out to own EVERY drop of oil and spend the money he gets from his every drop of oil on new ways to discover how to obtain even MORE drops of oil. He stops at nothing, at no one, and for no reason in attaining everything he wants…which is everything. His lust and greed drive who he is, it’s his identity, “I’m an oil man” is how he introduces himself, even the color of his skin is stained by the very oil that he so feverishly pursues. I’ve never seen a man, actor, or character in a movie, demand and command so much intimidation by just his voice. Everything revolves around him, he is the epicenter of this oil-filled world out in West Texas, and to everyone else, in order to get to the oil, you have to come through him…well, that’s what he wanted it to be like anyway.

Daniel Day-Lewis so brilliantly plays this character where throughout the movie, at different times, I found myself rooting for him to succeed, cursing his very existence as a character, tearing up for his failures, and at the end, wondering why I cared about him at all. His portrayal was nothing short of genius. Though at times I could copy and paste his portrayal of Bill “The Butcher” Cutting in Gangs of New York onto Daniel Plainview and it might match up pretty close, the difference in Daniel Plainview versus Bill, is that Daniel cares for no one, not even family, when it comes to getting what he wants. His pride, his arrogance, his shame, all of it was wrapped up in trying to get that next oil discovery…ultimately, that next dollar.

To quote one of my friends who I saw the movie with, “He was a killer before he ever became a killer.” The dialogue between the characters, especially from Daniel’s character to Paul Dano’s character Eli Sunday, will leave you wounded in the heart. I’ve never heard dialogue in movies like this. I was literally scared of the words. They were frighteningly real and penetrated you as they were hurled from character to character. At times, I felt like I was in the room with them and could feel the tension crawling around my skin like little pokey ants. It’s a feeling that I’ve never felt before from a movie…and I loved it.

To say that the score in this movie was good is the understatement of the century. In my opinion, a great score in a movie is one that creates itself as an actual character. When the score becomes an integral part of the movie, not just a pretty or thrilling decoration that you move your head to, that’s when it becomes monumental. The music in this movie (if it could be called that, at times it was just eerily sounding violins that scratched my eyes audibly) takes on a personality of its own and forces its way to the front of your mind as you try and concentrate on the dialogue and character, yet can’t figure out why all that you hear is the plickety-pluck of an old scary violin. I will never hear a violin again and not remember the images that flashed across my mind when the violins opened the movie…carrying us to the top of the peak, in its loudest volume, and leaving us there to figure out how to get down. Even now, I am still moved by the reminiscing sounds that are lingering in my memory of the movie’s score.

Shot mostly in West Texas, the landscape of the movie is desolate, dry, and well, West Texas. This movie won’t be awarded nor remembered for its cinematography or use of special new cameras, though I was very moved by just how empty it all was, which I think was a great symbol for what Daniel Plainview really felt…emptiness. Nothing about this movie will leave you smiling or feeling good about yourself, it’s not one of those movies. I do think we can take away the passion that Daniel had for his business and apply that to today’s life, but this is not a message movie. It is a gritty, real, raw, unadulterated, scary, violent, beautiful, haunting look at what greed looks like. What forms greed can take, and what monsters are born out of greed…

If this doesn’t win Best Picture at the Oscars or Daniel Day-Lewis doesn’t win for Best Actor, I will forever be boycotting the Oscars.

Content Warning: This movie is rated R for violence and some foul language, and for, in my opinion the only reason why it’s an R, intense imagery and situations that you do not want youth or kids seeing. The intensity alone deserves an R, but that coupled with how raw and unadulterated the action is, definitely makes it worth and R rating.

Bottom line, you will not forget it…and neither will I.

Posted in: Reviews4 comments

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