Change Your Image
february2nd
Reviews
Iron Man 2 (2010)
I wanted to love this sequel as I loved the original, and yes, it is pretty good. It just could have been so much better without it's one major flaw.
Considering it had such big iron shoes to fill, I thought this sequel didn't exactly disappoint. Scarlett and Sam were nice additions. Mickey was OK even though he wasn't as good as the other two. The Cheadle replacement was a pretty weird change but it didn't F things up. RDJ had some pretty good banter with everybody, as ought to be expected nowadays in a movie with him in it. Gwyneth was nice to see again even though they cut out her best scene, the helmet-tossing from the original trailer.
Speaking of the trailer, after seeing it I was worried that the movie might be watered down like Spiderman 3 with too many villains, but while SM3 shouldn't have included both Venom and Sandman, IM2 works well enough adding Whiplash and Justin Hammer. Like SM3, it also had an unnecessary dancing scene, but RDJ's wasn't the deal-breakingly dumb dance that Tobey's was.
Overall, was it worth seeing? Absolutely, it was worth seeing. I certainly don't think I'm going to feel as bad liking it down the road as I do when I think about what a mess both Pirates 2 & 3 were. IM2 didn't screw up the franchise, and it's definitely still sequel-worthy.
But unfortunately RDJ worries about dying through much of the film, and that is the sequel's major flaw. While his issues were made to make sense in the context of the film, I've got to admit that having RDJ secretly mope around by himself worrying about his own mortality wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It dampens the movie's spirit, and I wished the filmmakers had gone in another direction with the character instead. It's like you can hear the pre-movie round-table discussion, "Iron Man had depth in the first one because he made the decision to stop making weapons...But how do we try and add some depth this time around?...I know, we'll make him sick from his suit...he'll struggle with dying most of the film" It's too bad that decision didn't end up on the cutting room floor because that whole story arc, leading up to his father having the chance to save him from the grave, just didn't feel necessary. It was subtraction by addition. They didn't need to try to add any more depth to Tony Stark, face it, he s enough of an admirable icon as it is. He's rich, cool, funny, and has always has especially hot and interesting women populating his world. Not only does manage to pull off all of that but he also has a conscience and flies around in one of the best tech gadgets ever -- enough already, they should have left it at that. Just have him show up and do it again, let's hang out with Tony Stark one more time, that's all the IM2 crew needed to do.
But by making "Will he or won't he survive?" Tony's central conflict, it had at least a minor buzzkill effect on everything else too. By threatening to kill off Tony with the story arc they chose, IM2's crew tried just a little too hard to add unnecessary depth to a character we already liked. In a lesser movie this flaw of having a popular character suffer through a life-threatening circumstance might have killed the film, but luckily it pulls off some new twists and retains enough of the original's familiar virtues to still be able to recommend the new effort. RDJ's Tony Stark is still rich, cool and funny, and even though it took him most of this sequel, he now seems to have recovered his health, too. With any luck his poisoned suit issues are now behind him and he'll be back to his regular self in Iron Man 3.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
IJ4 is unfortunately not what should have been a fitting end to the Jones saga
IJ4 was passable, barely, mostly because watching Indy & co. somehow feels like you are passing some time with an old friend or two. Ever notice how it's just not that easy to think badly of people you've known a long time? Overall I didn't expect much based on the lukewarm reviews I'd glanced at, and the movie basically delivered on those expectations.
In a nutshell, there's a lot of stuff going on up on the screen like chases & bad guys & big hungry ants, etc, and it's a shame that the action wasn't driven by a plot that is basically impossible to care much about. So what is it that Indy is after now, some ancient alienized hyper-magnetized supposedly ESP-inspiring super-duper see-through head? It's been like 2 decades now & that's the best they could do?? Still, you hang on through the movie, hoping the writers might find a way to make the final payoff at least a little more interesting than it's premise, but sadly, that doesn't happen. It all ends up just being CGI noise. The only notable ESP event ends up coming from the audience who know exactly what the writers were thinking -- "Hey, let's just throw a boatload of effects at everyone to try & distract them from the fact that it's a dumb conclusion drawn from a lame idea that held very little interest in the first place."
And whatever happened to solid characters in the Indy series? Shia doesn't exactly embarrass himself, but he held as much interest as you might expect from a character with a toss-off name like "Mutt." The villain gal tried hard, and even though I generally like Cate Blanchett's work, what she had to work with made her at best a 2nd rate antagonist. Jones's agent friend came across as no more than just a talking plot device to get everyone in & out of trouble. And the mumbly guy with the blank stare? Too bad the editors couldn't have pulled off a Costner/Big Chill on him & just found a way to mercifully leave his scenes on the cutting room floor instead.
Karen Allen was really the only character who had a pulse, besides Indy at times. She was fun & a couple of their scenes together were the highlights of the movie. Too bad she wasn't in it from the beginning & wasn't given more to do when she did show up. (Though seeing the sparks she added did make you realize how joylessly flat-lined the rest of the picture was in comparison)
I generously rate it a 6/10 for her, the nostalgia factor & the nuke. (not a spoiler, it's pretty obviously foreshadowed in the first 5 minutes) That scene was not only original, but it had genuine tension and suspense, sorely missing in the rest of the film.
Note to Spielberg & Lucas: quit while you can & do not hand the fedora to Shia. Even if you took the idea seriously, what would you call it, "Indiana Mutt?" Even if if you didn't, you know that's the name disappointment critics would give it, so let the franchise rest in peace already.
If this is as it should be the last installment, than I think it's worth offering up an Indy Series RIP to the memorable characters that helped make the best of the movies so good: The talon-capped guy with a beard (Elf Gimli in LOTR) who said things like "Asps, very dangerous...you go first", Marcus Brody, cool menacing villains like Belloq & the Chinese guy, & of course Indy's dad. A special honorable mention goes to the very brief but unforgettable dispatching of the knife-wielding guy.
Too bad you couldn't have gone out on top but we'll still miss ya, Indy.
Collateral (2004)
Has the balls to ask, "Are you on the same page with yourself?"
What do you want to do with your life? Are you really doing it? Or are you just giving lip service to some higher ideal, deluding yourself thinking "someday, maybe," but "not right now?" What excuses are you giving yourself? To be clear, this is primarily an action movie centering around a professional hit-man and his targets. You don't have to entertain these questions to enjoy it.
Yet not since Fight Club's scene in which Brad Pitt holds a gun to that store clerk's head & warns him he'll be dead if he doesn't pursue his dreams, has a movie had the balls to ask -- "Are you on the same page with yourself?"
Again, you don't have to identify with the guy who has the sh**ty job & has a dream to start his own business but never acts on it to appreciate this movie. It stands on it's own as tense, well-acted assassin flick.
But it's rare in that it asks much more of you than to just root for the underdog hero. It gives you pause to reflect.
Granted, addressing the sobering reality that you might in fact be living out an existence that is but a mere shadow of what sort of life you really could be living -- that's not easy to come to terms with. It's much easier to stay plugged in to whatever Matrix you may be living in.
Yet I like challenging movies like this. Along w/ Groundhog Day, Remains of the Day, & Shawshank Redemption, this is among my favorite "wake-up call" how-am-I- living-my-life movies. I think it will be one of those deserving of multiple viewings over the years, one of those I'll probably get something new from every time.
Terrific flick.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008)
I kinda groaned to myself when I heard about this, but it's much better than I expected
OK, just finished watching it -- sweet! There is a profile shot of Sarah in the first 2 minutes, and the resemblance to Linda Hamilton for just a second is pretty darn close. Then you get a frontal view and it's not, but still the gal who's playing Sarah has the right attitude. It's cool to see the Serenity chick working again, she's also good. The Terminator ain't no Arnie, yet he's menacing enough. Say what you will about T3, but I think Nick Stahl plays the best John Conner and even though the new John isn't quite as good he's close enough. The couple of others in the cast are a question mark but they don't have much to do and the starting gun has only just gone off. There's good action, high production values, and a solid enough storyline if you don't allow yourself to think too much about all the time travel paradoxes. The overall tone is appropriately serious and a bit somber (there's the impending Armageddon hanging over everyone's head that feels right for the present), yet there's just enough wit to keep it from getting bogged down. The.new Terminator guy even offers up a campy line just for fun and it works.
Promising show. I didn't expect to like this, I kinda groaned to myself the first I'd heard about it, but it's much better than I expected. It's definitely got my attention and I'll watch it when it comes on. If it continues to be as good it deserves to stay on the air.
After seeing two pilots that have super strong (at least semi) mechanical characters in them in the past week, I can say that in between this and the Bionic Woman, this one is by far the better of the two.
If you are still on the fence, trust me, you really need to try and see this (google the title, it shouldn't be too hard to find) before you get wind of one of the plots twists -- if you are fan of the movies you will definitely appreciate the scene, and it's worth watching this right now for that moment alone. You will know what I mean when you see it.
My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)
G-Girl doesn't hit the 'Spot'
Yes, Uma is still pretty hot. And the 30 second scene with the shark was OK, even though everyone knows it's coming from the trailer. Yet sans one funny line regarding amorous activities at high altitude, virtually everything else just isn't very memorable.
It doesn't take long for you to lose interest in "G-Girl" because hot or not, she's so nuts she'd probably boil your rabbit if you had one. Maybe this movie could have made more with it's limited aspirations if G-Girl spent more time with her revenge, but not long after the shark bit the movie goes in a different direction. Even as a one-sided "War of the Roses," it could have been more interesting, but the film just doesn't do much with it's material. I mean, you have a character who's named "G-girl," you have at least 2 bedroom scenes with her, and you don't have an extended buildup of sexual tension as she and her "G" pendant slowly glow brighter and brighter right up to an explosive city-rattling earthquake of ecstasy when she screams, "That's the Spot!" ?
C'mon! Take an "R" rating if you have to, at least this would have showed they were trying. Instead, the bed moves around a lot as she's on top. That's it.
Interesting enough concept, poor execution. Save your money and do something better with your time instead. At the moment "Clerks 2' would be a much better choice. It may not be for everyone, but so far it's easily the best film released this year.
Match Point (2005)
Luckily for us, what might be Woody's swan song is a lean and powerful effort
(Note: I added "may contain spoilers" because I briefly describe how the plot is set up, but I don't discuss it's resolution.)
Even though I'd heard beforehand that this movie was reminiscent of "Crimes and Misdemeanors," it still didn't quite prepare me for all of its twisting plot. Yet it's actually a very simple story. A man falls in love with two women at the same time. The one he's most passionate about he can't have, so he ends up marrying his 2nd choice. It doesn't hurt that his lesser love is part of a very rich family, and that he'll never have to worry about money again for the rest of his life as long as her father sees that his daughter is happy with him. But he can't deny his passions, and starts up an affair with the girl he loves more. The affair takes on a life of it's own until one day it gets serious enough that he is forced to make a choice: give up a life of chauffeurs, mansions and a wife he describes as "sweet," or forsaking his deepest passion forever for a safe and comfortable existence. What he decides is something I won't give away.
This is lean and powerful Allen. There is no amusing nebbish at the core of this one; all the pain and uncertainty that "the Woody character" would usually deflect so deftly with humor is stripped away here, and what's left is a more satisfying display of raw emotion from the two gifted leads, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Scarlett Johansson. Equally as satisfying is that Allen's theme about the roll of luck in our existences ended up being as strong as any of the performances. For good or for bad, you really leave the theater questioning just how lucky you or the characters you've just spent two hours with really are. Maybe the only thing everyone who can appreciate this film can agree on is how fortunate we are that Woody Allen (who turned 70 this past December) can still put together a small masterpiece like this.
The Lonely Guy (1984)
Even if you're a Steve Martin fan, skip it...
...you'll be glad you did. In 90 minutes worth of movie, there are maybe 3 genuinely funny minutes here, and having suffered through the other painfully lame 87, it was a real effort to laugh at what actually works. I love finding under-appreciated movies like anyone else, but even though I'm enough of a Steve Martin fan to have "All of Me" make my top 100 all-time list, believe me, this movie deserves what little attention it got. "Midnight Run" is also in my top 100, but even the seemingly inspired teaming of Martin and Grodin can't bring any life to this one. Which is a shame, because one of the bits that almost works (about street bums and hair) gives you a glimpse of what could have been had they just had some decent material to work with. If you liked "Breaking Away," it's trivial to mention that there's a virtually topless Robyn Douglass (the main character Dave Stoller's crush, "KAT-A-REEN-A!") here in one scene, and she actually takes off part of her dress to flash her breast in an effort to win Martin back in another. That these brief scenes are what I'll probably remember most says very little about this sadly under-realized little film.