Riding with the window down…

I don’t think I even reviewed the first Iron Man film, but let me say that I dug it. A lot of you know that Iron Man and the Hulk are my two favorite comic book characters and that I was overjoyed that they were among the first to transition to the big screen. While the first Iron Man took some liberties with the storyline, I didn’t mind because they simply modernized the tale a bit. I was also taken aback when they originally cast Robert Downey Jr. as “Ol Shell Head,” but that too passed as his version of the billionaire playboy was spot on and entertaining.

Okay, now that I am totally bought into this incarnation of Tony Stark, I was able to just relax and enjoy Iron Man 2 - what a show it was! The entrance that Iron Man made to the Stark Expo was seriously cool - it made Steve Jobs look like an amateur.

Yes, it still bugs me that the characters spend so much time in the armor with their faceplates down, but I get it - Downey and Cheadle are “stars” and need their face time, it just takes me out of the story each time I see it and they cease to be the characters they are playing and seem like spoiled actors - very weak juju.

Sure, there are still some flaws - Rhodes (War Machine) was too cardboard and a bit too simplified and Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff was totally unneeded and distracting. You can’t argue with Mickey Rourke as the bad guy, Ivan Vanko - serious creep factor. The unexpected surprise of Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer was a blast as well.

If you are a fan of Iron Man -you will love it. If you are a fan of Robert Downey Jr. - you will love it. If you a fan of action flicks - you will love it. Heck, you will love it anyway! Fun stuff!

RATING 8 out of 10

There are two seasons where you can usually count on seeing a good movie or two - the Summer blockbusters and the Christmas blockbusters. This Christmas season has provided me with two good movie outings. Both of them made me skeptical at first, but in the end, both delivered solid entertainment.

First up was Avatar - the nearly HALF A BILLION DOLLAR blockbuster by James Cameron. Visually, this film was amazing. This is another notch in Cameron’s bankability belt - when his name is on it - you’re looking at a hit. Even lame films like the last Terminator do well - because Cameron is associated with it. (Interestingly, Sam Worthington - who played the lead, Jake Sully was also in the last Terminator and will be in the remake of Clash of the Titans, he has action hero star written all over him.)

This film really had little to do with Cameron or Worthington… it was all about the CGI and in that respect, it ROCKED! Sure, the storyline was weak and a very transparent political/social commentary. Sure, the characters were as stereotypical as anything to come out of Hollywood. But visually, Avatar made you overlook all the flaws.

It was slow in the opening third of the film and predictable throughout, but you just couldn’t take your eyes off the screen. I would watch it again just for the visuals.

RATING 7 out of 10

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Next was Guy Ritchie’s interpretation of Sherlock Holmes as portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. Now you have to understand that there is likely no more important fictional character in my life than Sherlock Holmes. I have always loved Holmes, and I have seen every single incarnation available. For that reason, I was extremely nervous seeing the previews for this film as it looked to be nothing like the legend created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Downey was nothing like the Basil Rathbone or Jeremy Brett Holmes (my favorite) but not nearly as quirky as the trailers made it appear.

Yeah, he did a serviceable interpretation, but in the end, there was too much Robert Downey Jr. in the character. He was no different than he was in Iron Man - no different than he was in The Pickup Artist - no different than he has been in ALL of his roles. Face it - Downey has no range. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of RDJ and I think he may have a role that he could continue for years in Holmes. This is a great character for him to play because Holmes is so cocksure, smart, and witty. The fact that so many older people have played the character successfully leads me to think that he could be doing remakes for a couple more decades without missing a beat. This is one instance when typecasting is a good fit.

Because Holmes has been such an important literary figure in my life, I am sure that I will see each and every incarnation of the famed sleuth of 221B Baker Street, and although I will be skeptical, I will give them a fair shake. Robert Downey Jr. I can get used to - Jude Law as Watson I can get used to - Rachel McAdams as his tough-as-nails female foil, uh, I guess - Guy Ritchie, MTV-generation fight sequences in a period piece like this…. that may be a little tougher.

RATING 8 out of 10

Although my movie watching has dropped off dramatically since my transformation from bachelor to family man, I still manage to catch a few flicks. In fact, my blog posting frequency has dropped off much more than movie watching, so it is time to go through a few recent ones.

The Time Traveler’s Wife was an interesting flick. Both Dawn and I were left wondering if we liked it or hated it, but there was no doubt it was done well. We took in a showing at the Corral Theater in our new hometown of Wimberley, Texas, and it is a pretty decent venue. Sitting outside in lawn chairs on a cool evening is a pretty slick way to watch a first-run film.

The Time Traveler’s Wife scored right off the bat with the cast as I am a fan of both leads - Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams are both talented artists that always turn in a fine performance. The story was expertly told and their performances made up for holes in the “time travel paradox.”

Regardless of whether your suspension of belief is strong enough to not only believe in time travel, but assume it is okay if you meet and interact with another version of yourself - this is a well-constructed movie.

As far as whether or not I enjoyed the film? I guess I will know when I figure out if it was a happy ending or a tragedy. For now, I am going with happy ending.

RATING 8 out of 10

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Another film we saw recently was All About Steve. It was a cute film that I actually enjoyed. First, let me state that I am waaaay over Sandra Bullock and this whole spate of recent chick flicks has given me more than my share of her films.

I won’t go into a lot of detail on the thing because it wasn’t that exciting of a film - but let me say that since it was the first film we saw on our official “date night,” I did enjoy it.

Watch it for the quirky humor, watch it for Bradley Cooper, watch it for the positive message… heck, even watch it for Bullock if you want.

RATING 5 out of 10

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You would think that somewhere I would have found something a little more manly to review, but when in Rome…

Alright, I don’t have anything against chick-flicks - they’ve just never been high on my list of must-watch genres. Seriously, give me a good action, sci-fi, comedy, period piece, you name it… I just never got into the whole gushy, weepy, love story genre.

That said, as you read the films I have had to sit through recently, you may be surprised that I actually liked some of them quite a bit.

I won’t go into a lot of detail about what has me watching so many of these sappy movies other than that the folks I have been hanging out with the past few weeks just love the stuff and although I managed to skip the majority of the ones played here, I did get sucked into a few.

Made of Honor is a film that I would not have been caught dead paying to see. You know what? I would have been right in that decision. Sure, it’s cute. Sure, it’s romantic. Sure, there are some scenes designed to melt hearts…. but come on… this is as schlocky as chick-flicks get. If this is your genre of choice - this is a sure winner for you. It is somewhere between stabbing myself in the eyes and waxing my chest in terms of enjoyment though.

Patrick Dempsey is fun to watch regardless of the hysteria over the whole McDreamy nonsense - I have like him since the 1989 film, Loverboy - great movie. I am also a big fan of Kevin McKidd (Rome, Journeyman) and I could watch Michelle Monaghan in anything.

As this kind of movie goes - it is a fun little diddy though… so keep in mind that it would rate higher if there was anything about chick flicks I like.

RATING 5 out of 10

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Geez, this is just painful. It seemed like it was going to a fun little exercise, but all I find myself doing is reliving all those lost hours sitting in front of the tube. Two Weeks Notice is a film that is sappy at best, and unfortunately, boring through and through.

Sandra Bullock delivers her standard performance in this poorly written 2002 romantic comedy. The problem with the poor writing is that the romance is cheesy and the comedy not even close to being funny. Adding Hugh Grant to the marquee should give you a mega-hit when combined with Bullock, but he is too weak to fight his way out of this script.

Instead of dropping this in the DVD player, drop it in the nearest trash can and your life will be 101 minutes richer.

RATING 2 out of 10

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The Proposal is a film I went to see at the theater and it was actually a lot of fun. Sandra Bullock is on some sort of resurgence in her career and it looks a little better this time around. It appears her skill as an actress has improved while her comic delivery and pratfalls are still spot-on. Ryan Reynolds delivered a very good performance in a role that is nothing like his action roles and takes his comedy to a new level - from sophomoric fart jokes to romantic comedy.

Overall, the film is funny albeit completely predictable. The combination of Reynolds and Bullock however, is solid box office gold.

RATING 8 out of 10

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He’s Just Not That Into You is a film that sets out to explain the mind of the dating/relationship male. It throws out a few stereotypes and tries to say that this is the sum total of men. As a man, it is a pretty insulting and shallow look at our gender. As a moviegoer, it is a pretty sad downer of a film. I just didn’t like it much.

The cast was great - I mean, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connolly, Ben Afleck, Bradley Cooper, Drew Barrymore, Justin Long - you name it. We are talking an all-star cast. The acting was excellent, the script was good… heck, the only thing that was wrong with the film was that is was so negative.

What can I say? I like happy movies.

RATING 5 out of 10

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There have been a good half dozen more chick flicks I have had to sit through in the past couple months, but this is about all I can stomach blogging right now. If these type of films are up your alley, them by all means - enjoy and you can probably add three stars to each of the ratings to erase my bias.

I’ve fallen woefully behind in my movie reviews, so I’m not gonna waste any time - let’s jump right in.

Since this is going to be a very long post, I thought I would list the ones that I reviewed up front so you can decide which ones you want to read. They range from extremely recent, to quite old - with some oddball ones tossed in for good measure.

Up
Year One
Terminator Salvation
Taken
The Hangover
Stranger than Fiction
The Wrestler
Jeremiah Johnson
Eagle Eye

Up was a fun film. I have to admit, it wasn’t as good as I was expecting, and that’s just because so many people mentioned how much they loved it. Sure, it was a lot of fun. Sure, the humor was good enough to appeal to people of all ages. Sure, the animation was good. Sure, it had some great dog-related scenes/content. But you know what? It was just not that amazing.

As you can see from my rating, I liked it alot - I was just disappointed that it wasn’t as great as I had heard. The characters were a lot of fun and aside from the very sad story about the old man and his love, I dug almost every part of the film. Expect it to be a really good film - just not one of your all-time favs.

RATING 7 out of 10

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Terminator Salvation is so bad, I am not going to even invest the time required to find a picture to post with this review. This film is bad beyond description.

Christian Bale phone it in, McG (director) should go back to shooting lame music videos - he is a no-talent hack. The story and dialogue read like they were penned by 2nd grader - and I’m talking about the 2nd graders that ride the short bus and lick the windows on the way to school. This is quite possibly the worst movie I have seen in decades. Heck, I have already wasted too much time writing about it…. ugh!

RATING 2 out of 10

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The film Taken scores better marks with me than it should for a couple reasons. 1) I have always been a very big fan of Liam Neeson (with the exception of the Star Wars garbage.) 2) It featured a lot of great action scenes - hand-to-hand combat in particular, and 3) even though she doesn’t get much screen time - Maggie Grace is nice to look at.

Sure, it comes across as way over-the-top, but when done with a believable setting and backed up by a superb actor capable of selling it, it works. Not only will the action and intensity keep you interested, but the emotional tugs provided by a father trying desperately to save his daughter will win over anyone with a heart.

RATING 7 out of 10

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The Hangover was a funny little Vegas romp that I expected to be mildly amusing. Anyone who has been to a good bachelor party knows that these are stories you will tell the rest of your life. (Manny)

The interesting twist in The Hangover is that the narrative is about trying to remember what happened rather than just being a fly on the wall as the hi jinx ensued. Told in this way, the film is probably funnier than it would have been with the traditional formula.

Sure, it is sophomoric. It is absolutely juvenile and appeals the lowest common denominator. But lets face it - sometimes that is fun! The Three Stooges made careers out of going for the cheap laugh. Director Todd Phillips has made a career out of this kind of movie - Old School, Road Trip, etc. and he scored again with this one.

Don’t take your girlfriend’s parents to it, if you are trying to be seen as an intellectual. Don’t take your mom to it, unless she enjoys some good fart jokes. Don’t take your kids to it - period. But, if you want to go see a funny film with some friends that won’t bat an eye at crude jokes, crude language, and generally illegal treatment of a baby - this is your film.

RATING 8 out of 10

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Sorry, I got tired of blogging - I promise to write up reviews of the other four I listed when I get some time.

Don’t get me wrong. I do love me some old Tarantino - not trash like Death Proof, but good stuff like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. He will be the first to admit though that all of his inspiration for those films comes from great directors like John Woo and films like Ying hung boon sik II (A Better Tomorrow II.) I watched aBTII last night and it was great.

Yeah, the storyline is shlocky. Yeah, the script is riddled with goofiness. Yeah, the violence is over-the-top. But seriously - this is good stuff!

The biggest surprise for me in watching this film was the depth of acting. I have always been a big fan of Chow Yun-Fat, and the myriad of Chinese actors that appear throughout this film genre, but once you look past the comical looks and shlock, there are some scenes that took serious skill. The scene in which Yun-Fat’s character, Ken is trying to get his Uncle Lung to snap out of his psychosis and eat was in-freakin-tense.

The genre is fun stuff and I have to thank Hap for loaning me the DVD.

RATING 8 out of 10

Most films are easy to peg.  Sometimes the title, maybe the poster, and certainly a trailer, provides clues as to what you have in store. Every once in awhile however, you come across a film that is nothing at all like you imagined.  Lars and the Real Girl is just such a film.

The story revolves around this dude, Lars, that gets a Real Doll (CAUTION: link contains nudity) - a lifelike love doll. At first blush, it would seems a good setup for a raunchy (or at least bawdy) comical romp. It was NOTHING like that.

It is hard to say anything about the movie without spoiling what makes it so unique. Let me just say that Ryan Gosling turns in another great performance as the super-shy, Lars Lindstrom. More than just another great Gosling showcase, this film is touching on many levels. It is a warm look at what good people do for each other.

It is a completely charming film that is very well constructed throughout as it flows easily from laughter to tear-welling empathy.  As you travel with the story, you become a part of this amazing community of characters - each of which is more endearing than the last.

If you have a taste for good story, good acting, and non-Hollywood film fare - Lars and the Real Girl is a good find.

RATING 8 out of 10

Okay, so the pun in the post title is a groaner… but the film Watchmen is not.

I really enjoyed the heck out of the film despite never having been a fan of the graphic novel. I had numerous opportunities to read it through, but each time was put off by the sheer volume of text. It looks like a comic, but reads like a novel. I just couldn’t reconcile that.

With no background in the story, I went into the theater with a completely open mind. I was going to let the film speak for itself… and it did! I LOVE the characters. I LOVE the story. I LOVE the visuals. I LOVE just about everything about the Watchmen. Now, I want to go back and read the graphic novel and immerse myself in extremely rich universe. I am a fan.

There are few films that I would even consider watching more than once - this is one.

The character Rorschach is the perfect modern-day anti-hero. How can you not love this entirely unlikable guy? Even the despicable masked hero known as The Comedian has something strangely appealing. These heroes are flawed - these heroes are troubled - these heroes are real. (Well, except for all those cool abilities.)

One thing I found very cool was the historical backdrop against which the storyline is set.  Their world appears to be a parallel universe in which superheroes walked among us, and Nixon was in the middle of this third term as President.  You can see bits of this storyline (and others) in NBCs series Heroes.

FUN, FUN, stuff!

RATING 9 out of 10

Gran Torino is another film that I really hadn’t heard much about - funny how that happens when you turn off your satellite and cable.  I kinda dig not seeing all the previews.  When you think about it - most of the time, the previews either show all the good parts of a movie or totally mislead you as to what you are about to see anyway.  I like it better not being spoon fed why I should like a film.

I have to say, the first thing I noticed in Gran Torino is that Clint Eastwood seems to get tougher as he gets older.   This part seems like it was written with him in mind.  I mean… come on, who doesn’t like seeing Eastwood kick ass?

The script does a good job of telling a story of America through Eastwood’s character.  The struggle to overcome past beliefs, cope with the changing face and habits of society, and deal with personal demons is the undertone to what looks to be a simple tale.

While the dialogue involving off-hand racist remarks and “guy talk” is great, the writer’s seem to falter at times when dealing with the “big picture” issues.  It’s as if they took a solid story and dumbed it down for the consuming public - you know… Hollywoodized it.

In the end, Clint Eastwood turns in a classic Eastwood performance.  Had the script been stronger and not relied on so many cliche setups, reactions, and dialogue - this would have been a 10 star rating.

RATING 8 out of 10

My friend Tony shared this with me and after viewing the online clips - this seems like a good idea with very poor execution.  The “experts” are campy and fake, and the writing is juvenile.  I think I’ll pass.  thatsnotfake.com