Category Archives: Movies

Movie Reviews: Wanted & The Incredible Hulk.

Okay, by popular request (1 comment on previous post), I’m going to give you guys a quick heads-up on the double feature I saw last Friday night. Wanted & The Incredible Hulk.

First off, let me just say that going to a drive-in in a Buick LeSabre by yourself can be a humbling experience. When the trailers came on before Wanted, showing The Dark Knight, I thought to myself, “Hey, why don’t I turn on the car stereo and listen to this in style?”

So I insert the key and turn it to turn on the car stereo… and the headlights come on. Right on the screen. No problem, right? Just turn ‘em off. So I quickly took the key out… and watched in slow motion horror as the lights STAYED ON. As they do EVERY TIME you turn off the car.

Within seconds one of the theater attendants was at my car, banging on the hood and asking me to turn off my lights. I shrugged sheepishly (i.e. pathetically) and explained I couldn’t turn them off, and that they’d turn off automatically in about two minutes.

TWO MINUTES!!! During that time I was the most hated man in the parking lot. I wanted to slink down in my passenger seat until the pain subsided. What’s worse, the car to my left had a girl in it who was laughing hysterically as she narrated what was going on into her cell phone.

It was a sad, sad movie moment for me. ME! The guy who strives for Movie Experience Perfection! The one who can’t stand talkers anywhere in earshot, and here I was ruining a hallowed movie moment – The Trailers – for the entire audience. :( I’ve since resolved to read the freakin’ manual to figure out how to turn those ding dang lights off next time.

Now, the nutshells:

Wanted – It was everything the trailers made it out to be. Fast, adrenaline-fueled belief-suspending fun. The slow-motion action scenes were nothing short of spectacular. On the downside, there was a lot of crude language and the violence was prevalent, but if you stomached any of the Kill Bills, you’ll do just fine, Scout. On the plus side, watching the movie served as great inspiration for a novel one day. :) Took a page’s worth of notes and everything. And that’s the way it should be for me – when I read a novel, watch a movie / TV show, I don’t just want to be entertained, I want to be educated, affected. Inspired. :)

The Incredible Hulk – Starting out, my expectations were kinda low. I wasn’t impressed with the trailers for it, but I made a point to only watch them twice, lest I ruin the celluloid surprises later on. Thankfully, the trailers didn’t do the sheer action and adrenaline of the fight scenes justice.

I was one of 5 people who actually enjoyed Ang Lee’s “Hulk” back in 2003. No, it wasn’t perfect, but I’d rather it err on the side of being TOO intellectual than simply insulting (see: Daredevil, Elektra, etc.). When I heard the director of the new Hulk was the guy who brought us The Transporter & The Transporter 2, I smiled. Sure, they might be over-the-top action flicks, but ya gotta zero in on their strong points: They’re Over-The-Top Action Flicks. :)

Thankfully, he didn’t disappoint. The Incredible Hulk is satisfying. The fight scenes are impressive, and they progress nicely from Good to Great to Holy Moses That’s Cool!  The CGI rendering is excellent (in my opinion), and the Hulk never looked so accurate on screen. Norton and the cast are great, but I’m not a huge Norton fan, to be honest. He comes across as too whiny an mousey (which, in truth, made him an ideal Bruce Banner).

So there you have it. My two cents. Hancock comes out today, and I’m kinda looking forward to that. :) Aside from that, I’m also hankerin’ a bit for The Dark Knight, Journey to the Center of the Earth (in 3D), and The Mummy 3.

Kevin

Iron Man Movie Review.

I’m not a huge Iron Man fan. Being a Marvel Comics reader growing up, I was familiar with him, but I never really read a full-fledged “Iron Man” issue. (The closest thing was when he tussled with the Hulk one time… With deliciously crunchy results.)

That said, when I saw Iron Man, the movie, on Monday night, it was with a semi-unbiased mental palate. You’ve heard the critics, and now you’ll hear me: it was good. Quite good. Funny, action-packed, intelligent, well-acted. Kudos on all accounts, really.

So. If you see only ONE movie this Spring (yes, it’s still Spring), then see Iron Man. I would have to say it’s right up there next to “Batman Begins” with being one of the most polished and faithful comic book adaptations to come to the silver screen. Yes, it was THAT good. An A-, to be sure.

I’m really loving Lubbock weather. It might be hot during the day, but it cools off right quick at night. Balmy and breezy, it’s like a tropical paradise sometimes. Without the beach… Or rather, with plenty of beach but not ocean. Yeah. That’s more accurate.

This afternoon we had violent thunderstorms with a smattering of hail. And now? At 5:30pm? Blue skies and balmy weather. Yup. I think Lubbock’s gonna fit in just fine. :)

Kevin

Jumper & Other Movie Thoughts.

I just wanted to say that I saw the movie Jumper last week on opening day, and contrary to the critics out there, It Did NOT Suck. Granted, I’m biased because I had read the novels by Stephen Gould and already loved the main character (David). But the critics are being TOO critical on this one. It’s an enjoyable, fast-moving flick. Hayden Christensen doesn’t suck as much as he did in the Star Wars films, and I felt he nailed his character perfectly.

Samuel Jackson, on the other hand… Had annoying hair. If anything screamed “Bad Wig” more than his get-up, I d on’t know what it would be.

So, yeah, I wanted to set the record straight. Jumper was fun. Not perfect, but fun. And I highly recommend the original novel and the sequel, Reflex.

Other movie thoughts:

Aliens Vs. Predator 2 – this one DID suck. A LOT. Because it was “R” instead of PG-13, they went for the HARD “R.” Full of excessive gore, blood, violence, etc. Plus, it was all so fast you didn’t have ANY idea what was happening, or who was fighting whom. Big, big stinker.

Cloverfield – I liked it. My friend, Rob, hated it. But I enjoyed the story and the adrenaline boosts that came at just the right time. One word of advice: don’t watch the screen the whole time. Look above or below it, until the motion slows down. You WILL get sick if you watch it head on. Trust me.

Proof- Kim and I watched this last night. Math geeks out there will love it. Normal people (like myself) will still find it enjoyable. All star cast with nary a stinker in the talent department.

The Lookout – Joseph Gordon Levitt is the new Heath Ledger. Looks identical to him, and has the acting chops to match him. (Also check out “Brick” for a real twister. Watch WITH subtitles on. The language is so specialized, you’d quickly be lost without ‘em.)

Kevin

Movie Review: Lady In The Water.

I watched M. Night Shyamalan’s “Lady in the Water” last night. It was free movie night at the local video store (every Thursday), so as I browsed the aisles this one caught my eye. I absolutely loved “Signs,” and was sorely disappointed by “The Village,” so I really didn’t know what to expect. This much I knew: it was based on a bedtime story that M. Night told his children, and the critics didn’t care for it.

The critics are idiots.

No, this movie isn’t like his earlier works, “The Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable.” Despite the presence of an evil creature in it, it’s not a horror movie by any stretch. It’s a fantastical tale of hope, identity and purpose. It was slow, complex, and oftentimes confusing, and I found myself deeply moved by it, even crying. (I know, I know… I cried while watching King Kong, and now THIS… God’s really tenderized my heart or something…)

I think what really did it for me was seeing the regular, ordinary people in the story slowly accept the truth that they had a specific purpose. They weren’t worthless or wastes of space, which is exactly what they would be portrayed as in a typical movie (and in society as well). They were special. Every one of them.

I’d like to watch it again, but I need to give it some time, let it settle a little bit, allow the message to take root before I try to decipher it all. If you want to read a synopsis and other people’s well-crafted, thought-out reviews, be sure to visit the Spotlight page of the ChristianAnswers.net. It will fill in all the gaps I’ve left.

Kevin

Kevin’s Movie Review: King Kong, Deluxe Extended Edition

I just finished watching Peter Jackson’s King Kong, the Deluxe Extended Edition. Kim bought it for me last month for my birthday, but I haven’t made time to see it until tonight. Actually, I saw half of it LAST weekend, and the other half tonight. The original theatrical version was over 3 hours itself, and the extended version adds another 38 minutes of deleted scenes, so it really is a large undertaking to watch it in one sitting. (Which, I should note, I fully intend to do… just as soon as I recover from watching it THIS time…)

So what’d I think of it? Well, let’s get one thing straight: I love the story of King Kong. There are so many alluring elements for me. Huge monkey on a remote island, monster creatures to fight, a short time frame of events. It’s perfect is so many ways. But Peter Jackson has taken the original storyline and enhanced it beyond anything I had ever imagined. Despite all the various plot holes, insane character motivations and laughable timing transitions, I still consider this movie to be a modern masterpiece.

Why? Because as much as I love the action and the gigantic fun of it all, what really gets me in this movie is the dynamic between Ann Darrow and Kong. She felt so alone in the beginning of the story. Abandoned and afraid, she had been let down by those around her throughout her life. But in Kong she found someone who would not only stand by her, but would fight to the death to defend her as well.

I’m not ashamed to say I cried while I watched this movie, even more so here at home than I did in the theaters, which surprised me. It’s just so wrenching, seeing them united and separated like they were, at peace and then thrust into turmoil once again. And what’s worse, my tears stung, so it wasn’t a cleansing cry. It was downright painful.

So, yeah, it’s going to be a while before I watch King Kong again. But I’ll be anticipating it for months to come, I can tell you that. And Kim? If you’re reading this, I Thank You. Thank you for such a wonderful birthday gift. This almost makes up for that time you gave me luggage. Almost.

Kevin

Kevin’s Acrostic Movie Review – Spider-man 3

Slightly slower Spider-Man, sometimes
plodding. Peter & pals ponder

identity issues, internal

darkness,

Ego. Effects? Eye-popping & eye-twitching.

(Recommending retina removal.)

-

My marvel(ous) moment?

Arriving alien

nemesis. (Niiiice…)

3 (Um… can’t really make an acrostic out of a single number… sorry…)

Movie Review: The Last Mimzy.

I wanted to like this movie. I really did. As I understood it, it was about two kids who suddenly become super-smart, and work with people from the future to avert some kind of disaster.

Well, that was kind of accurate. After finding a neato cube on the beach, the two kids soon discover that the bizarre objects inside actually make them smarter. It was cool the way the boy would suddenly look a the world around him with new insight and discovery, seeing the cause and effect relationships all around him. The girl, on the other hand, bonded with the stuffed rabbit from inside the cube, Mimzy.

Mimzy likes to talk, or mumble, actually. Mimzy is constantly whispering in the girl’s ear in indecipherable mumblings and bubbly sighs. To be honest, it kind of creeped me out, reminding me of Chucky from the inane “Child’s Play” movies of the 90′s.

The problem I had with the movie was the not-to-subtle message pervading it (and eventually concluding it): Eastern Mysticism isn’t so bad. Mysticism holds the answers you seek. The way to ensure the future is through Eastern Mysticism.

You think I’m kidding? I wish. I actually read the reviews people gave the movies at ChristianAnswers.net and thought “How bad can it be?” Bad enough. As creative and intriguing as the movie was, I have to say the blatantly positive spin it placed on palm reading and Eastern mysticism was disturbing.

On a more niggling note, teaching kids that it’s okay to prioritize a stuffed animal over your parents isn’t so hot, either. Or when the parents decide the toys aren’t so innocent and throw them away, only to have the kids later dig them out of the trash. Without consequence. Yeah. Nothing like undermining parental authority to change the world. Granted, we’re not always right as parents – how can we be? – but we’re doing our best to raise our kids, right? We don’t really need disobedience being modeled or our chillun’s, do we? I. Think. Not.

So that’s my review. Take it for what it’s worth. And also keep it in mind it’s more of an adult movie than a kid flick. Kyler and his friend were bored to death for an hour and a half. Squirming and slouching and doing everything they could to keep from running down the aisles with their contained, unentertained energy. “The Last Mimzy” is ABOUT kids, not necessarily FOR kids.

Kevin

Movie Review: Batman Begins

Last week before we began the MicroCast over at CrazyAces, Jeff raved to Chris and I about Batman Begins, the new movie with Christian Bale, Katie Holmes, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson and Michael Cain (if anyone’s ever heard of these guys…). Jeff said it was, hands down, “the best Batman movie ever made,” and he added later that he considers it the best comic book movie adaptation ever created as well.

He just might be right.

After seeing Batman Begins on Friday night, I have to say that it was, unquestionably, the BEST Batman movie ever made. Tim Burton had a great take on Batman in the early nineties, without a doubt, but what Chris Nolan did here elevates Batman to a whole new level. What astounded me the most in this movie is I found myself marvelling at the feeling that I wasn’t watching a “comic book movie,” but was seeing a full-fledged, character-driven movie that just happened to be about Bruce Wayne. That’s important to note: it wasn’t about Batman at all, it was about Bruce Wayne and the experiences and influences he had that spurred him to become a caped crusader.

It was an exhausting movie, by far. Emotionally, visually… you feel a bit worn-out when it’s done. But you also feel satisfied. It was well-worth the full price of admission, and it’s so rare you can feel that way these days.

Batman Begins is an excellent example of what a combination of first-rate direction, talented actors and sharp writing can produce: a fantastic movie-going experience.

And for that, I have to give Batman Begins an “A.”

Kevin

P.S. If you want to see why Christian Bale scored the role of Batman, I highly recommend you check him out in the movie Equilibrium (see my review here).

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