Stay Classy with Me!
Check out my Fantasy Moguls movie slate!
What Happens in Vegas
Get in the game at fantasymoguls.com!
View my DVD Collection at DVD Profiler
Links
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
I've updated this page again as promised. I added 5 movie reviews for your pleasure of movie's you've probablky already seen so feel free to agree or disagree with my thoughts. Coming soon is a list of the 10 best and worst summer movies of the past ten years. Plenty of material. This coming weekend will be American Wedding so I will get up a review about that. Freddy vs. Jason in two weeks. I can't wait. Other than that though it is saem old same old with Hansley. So stay tuned, stay in touch, and stay cool in the summer heat. Later
The Hulk
A scientist whose biological parents left him for adoption as a child, grows up to be an emotionally distant adult who can't seem to express himself all that well. Then one day, he accidentally gets zapped by some gamma rays during an experiment gone awry, and the next thing you know, he turns into a big, green monster whenever he gets angry. And trust me when I say that you wouldn't want to see this guy when he gets angry! Needless to say, the military, his sweetheart and his dad all want a piece of his action, but he's too busy kickin' ass to notice? Hulking ensues!
Let me temper this review by saying I loved Spiderman last year. It told the story of how Peter Parker became Spiderman quickly and got right to the action. It stayed enough on the backstory though that it gave everyone in the film depth which helped give the movie the high praise it deserved. The Hulk on the other hand goes the opposite direction. It takes forever to set up the backstory. In fact the first hour or so seems extremely redundant as we are treated to numerous flashbacks into Bruce Banner's life. We see the same scenes over and over again without being given anything new. Finally we find out what finally pushed the Hulk over the edge and get treated to glimpses before we get the complete package. After awhile the CGI Hulk grew on me, and by the end it wasn't as noticeable. Parts of the story fell contrived and tacked on. I know they were probably parts of the comic book, but we don't need an what feels like a tacked on sequence at the end with Nolte confronting his son. Especially after he is walking wherever he wants to throughout the film. They also never touch on the name of the dad's character (I think he had a name in the comic book). Josh Lucas' villian character is also very one-dimensional and makes you wonder just why he hates Banner so much. Hard to care for a character when the writer's don't seem to care about him either.
Despite my major gripes there are some good parts. The film is shot pretty cool to look like a visual comic book. Also Jennifer Connelly is good as the love possibility. Bana is serviceable as the lead, and the action scenes are hella-cool. (The scene where he hammer throws the tank is even cooler in the real movie.) The movie is in the end a disappointment, but not a huge disappointment like movie's from summer's past. (There is a lsit coming soon) So this movie is recommended for the action so stay awake for them--------------------------------------------C
28 Days Later
A man wakes up in an English hospital bed, only to find out that he seems to be the only human being left alive on the planet after a raging virus strikes everyone down. As he walks around London, he discovers that infected humans want to kill him, but that others like him still exist in the shadows. Teaming up with a few survivors, they all set out to find others like them or better yet, someone with a cure for the disease.
Let me start by clearing up a misconception about this film, that almost ruined my enjoyment of the film-THIS IS NOT A HORROR FILM!!!!!! IT IS A DRAMA FLICK MORE THAN ANYTHING.
Now that that's out of the way let's get to it. The spreading of the virus at the very beginning is very intense and hardcore as a monkey uses some animal rights activists as monkeychow. (Maybe a hidden meaning from director Danny Boyle there). Next we see a man lying in a hospital room waking up and noticing the sheer emptiness of everything. He eventually encounters some infected humans who chase him right into the hideout of survivors of the "Rage". I say eventually because the first part of this film moves extremely slowly and will lose some viewers. If you can make it through the first half hour then your in the clear because the film gets more meaty as it moves along. Many have compared the attacks to the Blair Witch Project movie which is unfair to this film. (BWP is an overrated piece of garbage). The film has messages of loneliness, and man's destruction of their own kind. The movie is awesome at the end when Jim, the lead character, goes completely shirtless and nuts---Much like The Beach (also by Boyle). Also if you go now stay after the credits for the director's original ending before the studio made him change it. They should've stayed with the director's original ending. 28 Days Later is another of the surprise summer films and is very demanding of it's viewer, it is all worth it in the end though. If you want a zombie flick rent Return of the Living Dead.---------------------------------------------A-
The Italian Job
A group of thieves rip off a stash of Venician gold only to have one of their own backstab them and take off with the loot. A year later, the remaining members of the crew find the a-hole living the highlife in Hollywood and decide to get their money back, one way or another. A cute blonde safe-cracker joins the gang and the job is on.
Every summer there is/are a film or films that come out and do well surprising audiences by connecting with a crowd, and becoming a hit even though it was overlooked. The Italian Job is one of those flicks for 2003. And how this movie got overlooked is beyond me. There is an A-List cast attatched to this one (Ed Norton, Charlize Theron, Mark Wahlberg), so it's hard to believe people looked past this film. (It did open against Finding Nemo so it can be forgiven a little). The dialogue is snappy and avoids being stupid and cheesy when it very well could be. Plus every part is played with the right amount of enthusiam or downplayed just enough.
Also good about this film is that Mark Wahlberg didn't do anything to actively piss me off or ruin my enjoyment of the film. The chase scene at the end is awesome because it is about 20 minutes of the good guys and bad guys trying to one-up each other. The film left me satisfied and makes me wish more people had taken notice. If it is still showing near you and you can catch it do so. If not rent it as soon as it comes out on video, you won't be disappointed.-----------------------A-
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Old-time adventurer Allan Quatermaine is recruited to head a group of extraordinary folks with varying legendary powers, in order to stop a madman named "The Fantom" from launching a world war. The Fellowship of a Few Extraordinary Men and One Chick...ensues.
This movie is very close if not absolutly abysmal. Sean Connery can't even save this film from slipping into silliness once it reaches the 45 minute mark. Before that point it is entertaining because it is setting up the group coming together and learning what their mission is. The interludes at the beginning between the League and villian foreshadow the events to come and gives away a vital clue as to who is playing on who's team. After the introductions though the movie falls apart due to bad acting, bad directing, silly mistakes (see if you can pick up the obvious one), and bad dialogue, "What's that sound?" "That's the sound of treachery.
The only redeeming value of this film is the guy who plays Jeykll/Hyde in the film. He is very good and gives some human aspects to the character when it morphs into the Hyde monster. The movie is disappointing and not really worth checking out.-------------------D
Bad Boys 2
Two Miami police officers, who don't particularly get along, must work together in order to snag an underground ring of drug-dealers who are bringing in more Ecstasy pills than anyone else in the United States. To reach their goal, the duo decide that bitching at each other, blowing up all kinds of shit and driving like maniacs through crowded streets is the best way to go. We follow and chuckle along or follow and frown along. You decide.
This film is what a summer action film is supposed to be. It included explosions, shootings, and enough car chases to make the destructive side of people stand up and cheer. In fact there is one car chase where a Hummer destroys a small village pursuing the Cuban drug lord. It is a car chase that all others will be judged against from now on. Also enjoyable in the film is the banter between Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. They work extremely well together and play off each other well. They make such cliched scenes-like the one where Lawrence is talking about his being shot by his partner in the ass while it broadcasts in the store leading to the shoppers misunderstanding the situation- seem fresh and funny.
On the downside though some parts of the movie are pointless and slow the pace of the story down. The scene where SMith and Lawrence scare the date of Lawrence's 15 year old daughter is funny, but serves no purpose other than to make the viewer think there is a resolution to the partner's dissention. That is a small quibble though.
To compare the the sequel to the original is unfair because they are distinctly different movies. The first one is more a buddy cop film with action spiced in, and the villian is much better. The second is more of an action film with the buddy spiced in. The chick is much hotter in this one. Tea Leoni is hot but Gabrielle Union is smoking. So is Bad Boys 2 better than the first, no. If anything it is a push. However, for an enjoyable time at the theaters check out Bad Boys 2----------------------B+
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
I figure since it is now almost 3 weeks since I last posted I should do that now. The main reason I haven't posted much is because I got nothing to say sometimes. I could do like my buddy and just post random thoughts but I know I would then field questions about what stuff means--(Which is what I do to him). To review though, my birthday was on the 11th and I celebrated by going to see Finding Nemo and then doing nothing that night. Then my parents left for a week so the house was nice and quiet. I watched some TV and went to dinner on Wednesday night after work and that was it. Friday night I went to see Bad Boys 2 with some friends and it was a serviceable action flick. Not as good as the first one because it lacked some depth and some scenes were just pointless, funny but pointless. Also we went to see wrestling two Sundays ago as the PWF changed to PTW. Simply Luscious has been retired from Pottstown's Academy Hall and walked around ringside waving bye to the fans. I waved back and Mr. So So just nodded---What a bastard!!
I went to see League of Extraordinary Gentlemen today and am seeing The Italian Job tonight. That's it, nothing exciting happens ever, but I'll start posting regularly I promise.
BTW I hate people who try to make points based on things they never understood in the first place.
Saturday, July 05, 2003
It has now been almost three weeks since I've posted anything new. I knew there would be a time where I slacked off but I didn't think it would be so soon into my posting status. In all actuality though I had nothing to write about. What do you want me to do, just waste your time by posting nonsense when I know most of you have better things to do then read my blog. The most important things in these past weeks involved my internship at FOX. Two weeks ago I got to view all of the new shows on FOX this fall. I'd like to recommend most of them to you. Norm McDonald's new show, "A Minute With Stan Hooper" also Cheech Marin's new show, "The Ortegas" is hilarious. It is a hybrid of three different genres of shows and is funny mostly nonstop. This past week I was at the Camden Aquarium for Summer Splash 3. I got to escort a couple of the Philadelphia Charge soccer players around. Both were cute and I suffered through taking them around all day. The past couple days have included picnics galore and today is no different plus the races tonight. I still have to recap the Ring of Honor show from last week so I am way behind. I absolutely promise to catch up on everything in the next couple of weeks. Oh well, I've got a picnic and races to go to today so I'll catch up with yous later...
