Avatar – It’s not overly exceptional, but Avatar does have
more than it’s fair share of awesome moments and spectacular action
sequences. But James Cameron is well
equipped for this kind of sci-fi awesomeness, so its not surprising that he doesn’t dissappoint this
time around. I did have occasional
issues with obvious plot pointing, and the Pandorum creatures look plastic (at
least at first), but overall, its easy to overlook such minor problems in the
face of something that looks this fantastic and at least feels this epic.
Creepshow III – Wow!
What a terribly crappy movie!
A horror anthology that picks up where the frist two didn’t even bother
to go, this straight-to-video sequel lacks a lot; just about everything, in
fact. The tales vary between
lackluster rehashes of previous stories, tacky (and unfunny) humor, and a plot
that relies on characters that wouldn’t be smart enough to breathe without
being told to do so. It’s a poorly
made, terribly budgeted, and thoroughly inadequate piece of film-making.
The Hangover – I actually saw this twice (on two consecutive
nights), once with parents and
once without. It’s very raunchy,
but most importantly, it’s also very funny.
The Incredible Hulk – Ang Lee’s previous Hulk was a bit too high-end for most viewers, and I certainly am not a fan myself. But then there’s Louis Letterier’s attempt to reboot the franchise, and I’m even more bothered by how far it fell. A few neat scenes aside (meeting in the rain, falling from the chopper), the film is filled with drab action sequences, cartoony characters, and a bare minimum of emotion. Nothing makes me not want to see a big Marvel showdown like this limp entry.
Iron Man – Just as The Incredible Hulk hurt my faith in a
Marvel team-up movie, Iron Man (on second viewing) renewed it. Very funny for a superhero movie, and
with neat political insights and action sequences, there’s just a lot that this film has
going for it.
The Jerk – There’s something very basic about Steve Martin’s first foray into feature films; it’s not smart, but it’s not entirely stupid either. But it mainly has a pure feel to it, as if Steve Martin had very little to lose or very little to prove. He was just having fun. Then again, maybe that’s just the way it seems when you watch it with a tween niece and nephew for the first time. It was just, well, right.
Kill Bill vol. 1 – Tarantino knows his way around most of
the genres he tries, and the Kung Fu revenge flick is no exception. Stylistically skilled, and occasionally
hilarious, the film is never less
than interesting. But the big
action sequence, while not without its charms, is a little underwhelming to
watch so shortly after Kung Fu Hustle.
Star Trek – The 2009 movie loses a lot when it goes from
IMAX to the small screen, but it’s still a great Star Trek film. The semi-trekkie I saw it with was also
impressed, and seemed to find it faithful to the Trek storyline.
Strange Brew – This movie is just silly. It’s not bad, and it’s not unfunny. But more than anything else, I can’t think of a
sillier movie right now.
Watchmen – Like the graphic novel on which it is based, I
have a feeling that this film adaptation just gets better with repeat
viewings. The whole thing just has
the feel of an epic superhero movie, taking itself far more seriously than the
characters or the audience ever can.
Zombieland – It may be less smart than Shaun of the Dead,
but I think it makes up for that in a more tangible version of "bloody fun". Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson travel across the
country and kill zombies in their attempt to get home, wherever that ends up
being. It’s well enough made for a
kinda B-grade horror movie, but it’s hella funny.
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