I'm team captain after all.
Point is, I'm way behind on my movies and my reviews, so I'm gonna give you the ultimate tweener rundown of the films I've seen in the past month. If any of them require more discussion, perhaps it will come. And no, I haven't seen Superbad yet. I was thinking today might be a go to Target/see Superbad kinda day, but we'll see. Here goes, in the order that I remember seeing them:
Live Free or Die Hard: I wish I had a transcript of the text message conversation I had with Dave Hyde, whose advice I should have heeded, while watching this. I hated this movie. A lot. About fifteen minutes in, I wanted to punch everyone involved in the making of this movie. (Except Willis, because he's still pretty badass). It's just full of nonsense. And what's even worse, it's nonsense you've all seen before, in other movies. This movie was not fun. There were parts that were kind of cool, actually, which makes this movie that much more painful to watch. Very disappointing, and I don't get anyone out there who gives this movie a pass saying "It was entertaining."
The movie's pants, and you know it.
Evan Almighty: Viewed after Live Free or Die Hard, anything would seem better, and this was the case. I fully prepared to hate this movie based on the trailer alone. And you know what? It's not THAT bad. The jokes are kind of stale and weird, and poo-centric at times, but Carell is always worth watching, and he has his moments. And some of the supporting cast has it's moments too, but it's very clear they all wish they could be in another movie together. (Most likely involving Apatow in some way). As the movie goes along, it gets a little preachy and goofy, but I sort of liked the overall message. And Morgan Freeman's in it, and he's good in anything. So while this movie is not good, it's not bad. Perfectly servicable, and in no way inspiring wrath and venom.
The Bourne Ultimatum: This movie kicked my ass so hard, I'm still peeing blood. This is how you make an action movie right, Live Free or Die Hard. Take note. The movie starts and never stops. Every scene is intense as hell. Paul Greengrass is a fantastic director, and he orchestrates every scene perfectly. Well worth seeing, and it's definitely the best of the big budget sequels (and three-quels) the summer had to offer.
But Rob was right. Nowhere in the film is an ultimatum issued by Bourne. Nor anyone, really.
Sicko: A really good movie, made in the typical Michael Moore fashion of pathos and humor, ably weaved together to make a convincing argument. This time, it's on the American health care system, which is pretty messed up. The movie is good in that inspires a reaction out of you, and in my case it was of disgust at our government. But I listen to Air America radio, and am one of those hippy liberals. (aka Commies). Still, it's a well made film and worth checking out.
Becoming Jane: Yeah I saw it. So what? It's just alright. Anne Hathaway is fine, but a little out of her element in this movie as a young Jane Austen falls in love and uses the experiences of the world around her to craft her first major work, Pride and Prejudice. I was expecting it to be more of a Shakespeare in Love reinterpretation of an author's life and work, but this was not it. Instead, you get a bunch of things you've seen before. It is well acted, but the story is off, and there are some odd technical choices involved as well that distracted me. Still, it has a really good group ballroom dancing scene, which I'm sort of a sucker for. Wanna fight about it? I'll shiv you!
Stardust: Another perfectly servicable film. Pretty solid, actually. The story of a young man who travels into an enchanted world to catch a fallen star for a shallow woman, Stardust has a lot more wit and humour going for it than most of the recent glut of fantasy films. A lot of people have been comparing it to The Princess Bride, and it's sort of apt, being that they're both fairy tales with a slightly more irreverent point of view, but they are worlds apart. It was a lot of fun, though. But I couldn't help but think that this movie would have been AMAZING if Terry Gilliam directed it. There are parts where it almost reaches those levels (the ghost brothers and the Robert DeNiro flying pirate ship stuff come to mind), but it still would have been insane in the hands of Mr. Gilliam.
Hot Rod: Movie funny. Very funny. Will Arnett is genius in any scene he's in. Ditto Bill Hader. And Andy Samburg is pretty good as the lead, although there are times when you just want to smack him upside the head. This movie felt a lot like Happy Gilmore, and whenever it tries to stick to the plot, it slows down to annoying levels. But they bounce back quick with outright hilarity. Definitely worth the time to check it out. It also has the greatest falling off a mountain gag since Homer fell out of the ambulance at Springfield gorge.
Rush Hour 3: I didn't see it. But Dan (of DanSpeak) did. Dan really likes the Rush Hour movies. And in a shock to us all, he did not care for this one. Called it "Lazy". He almost felt insulted. So if Dan doesn't like Rush Hour 3, you know you're in for trouble. Although, he did see The Invasion, and said he kind of enjoyed it. So there you go. And I have so little respect for the latest "film by brett Ratner" that I'm not gonna run a picture of the movie on my blog. Instead, I'll run a picture of Lobot, from Empire Strikes Back. Because that's a good movie.
And there you have it. Mini Tweeners! I promise I'll be a bit more regular again. Work's been kicking my ass and I'm working on that top secret script that almost all of you readers who know me know exactly what it is. But there has been some interest on it, more on that later. Once the check clears. In the meantime, I gotta buy a lotto ticket. Because my luck's gotta turn around again soon, right?
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