Fall Movie Reviews

A couple fall movies of note:

Surrogates:
Better than I thought it would be. You can tell that some of it's ideas are stolen, or unintentionally borrowed from other sci-fi, but most of the ideas are quite original. Not an amazing Bruce Willis performance, but it's almost always fun to watch him anyways.

Grade: B

The Invention of Lying:
The opening scenes of this movie, especially some witty commentary by Ricky Gervais over the opening credits are stupendously, and unavoidably hilarious! Almost from start to finish I was laughing out-loud. It's a story about a world where nobody can lie. Everyone tells the truth, and the truth about what's on their mind all the time...very funny! I only have one true gripe with the film, and that is a scene toward the beginning where there is some uneeded, semi-prolonged sexual humor. The premise is great, and a truly original idea.

Grade: B+

Whip It:
A surpising movie for me. A story about a 17 year-old girl that joins a women's roller derby team behind her parents backs, and becomes quite good at it. Tensions rise when it's found out that she is underage, and must get her parents permission to compete. The movie has good-taste heart-felt moments; some good small town Napoleon-Dynamite-esque humor, and a very funny coach character that is played by Owen Wilson's brother Andrew. Andrew's sense of humor, and diction is amazingly close to his brother's... and hilarious.

Grade: B+

Avatar Pictures

These are some still frames from the brand new trailer. I like these because it gives you a closer look at just how good the CGI is. The textures, etc. are simply amazing!

Happy AVATAR Day!










I can't wait for this movie. It's going to be breathtaking! Happy AVATAR Day!

2009 Summer Movie Grades

Letter grade standings of all the summer movies that I've seen from highest to lowest:

1. Up: A
2. Star Trek: A-
3. Harry Potter 6: B+
4. Angels & Demons: B+
5. Terminator Salvation: B
6. Wolverine: B
7. Drag Me To Hell: B
8. Transformers 2: B-
9. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: C+
10. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: C

Star Trek with JJ

The latest installment into the Trek-verse is wonderful, fun, funny, and plays near perfect homage to all bright spots of Star Trek past! I laughed, I goose-bumped, and I lurched forward in my seat as director J.J. Abrams brought me a new interpretation of a cast of characters that I've always held very dear. Abrams, the writers, and then ultimately the cast were able to accomplish something that I thought was impossible: make a Star Trek movie that fan and newcomer could like equally. With expectations so high I was impressed at how there was not an over-indulgence in total re-invention (there is some), or nostalgic shamelessness. It may not be as intellectually in depth as the older movies, but I really think it makes up for that in a variety of other ways. A victory to be sure!

One of the brightest spots for me, surprisingly despite so many wonderful things, was the sound of the movie--crisp, impactful, and intensifying. The acting is also top notch, and you won't be grimacing at any line due to cheese or poor delivery. The exchanges between Kirk and McCoy are my absolute favorite scenes, and the perfectly timed appearances of the great Leonard Nimoy brought a smile to my face multiple times. The only character complaint is that I had to find myself getting used to the newer incarnation of Spock, and his somewhat more emotional persona, but the actor playing him, Zachary Quinto, does well none-the-less. One other hiccup with Spock occurs in a weird, and almost wrong, kissing scene with Uhura...but i'll forgive it this time because a couple of old episodes had Spock in a similar state (i hope there isn't anymore in future movies, although there very well could be). And of course no movie can be truly great without a great villain. Eric Bana portrays a hate-mongering, very vengeful, and never too talky Romulan adversary to really top off a good cast. One major complaint is that it couldn't have been at least ten minutes longer to let us, the audience, soak in more of the excitement and nostalgic emotion that the film brought so fully to the viewers.
Rating: A-

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

This movie was better than what most critics seem to be saying. Maybe it got hammered because last years two major comic book movie entries were so good that we all got very spoiled (Iron Man & The Dark Knight). This movie isn't quite as good as those 2 last year, but it's not so bad that you'd regret seeing it by any means. Hugh Jackman gives a wonderful performance, and gives us the Wolverine that we love to watch. The story isn't brilliant, but it is grabbing, and engaging (with a few cool nuggets about the title characters past--like how he got the name "Wolverine"). The action is near top-notch as well. This movie deserves more respect than what the average joe critic is giving it. It is also much better than X-Men: The Last Stand (which wasn't quite as bad as everyone made it seem either). A fun watch!
My Rating: B