Cop Out

Okay, I caught a movie tonight. Unlike most of the other posts where I tell you what I'm about to see, I've JUST seen this one.

And it rocked! If you need a good laugh while enjoying some fun action, this movie is for you. I haven't laughed that hard in quite a while.

A job well done for Mr. Willis, Mr. Morgan, and director Kevin Smith!

You want to catch this one!

Public Enemies

Well, just saw the movie. I'll have to say the story was engaging, well told.

I found some of the filming techniques distracting. I'm not sure, but I'd say it was filmed using film and digital equipment. There were several sequences where there was a digital color separation, with a magenta and turquoise highlights on bright spots. I think digital filming was also used on several of the low light sequences, for the capture rate seemed oddly different for the flashing of the guns, low light noise in the frame seemed more digital than film grain in origin as well. The print I saw also had some bad high hiss audio at several spots that was very distracting.

Race To Witch Mountain

Okay, just saw "Race To Witch Mountain". I was very impressed.  Having seem both of the original films as a kid, it was fun to see what Disney did with the concept.  The film was packed with subtle UFO enthusiast information, and the appearance of the actors who played the kids in the first two films back in the seventies.  As an adult, there was a lot to be had if you looked around what was happening in the film. The story, if you had seen the trailer, was rather self explanatory. 

Worth a view.

Caught "The Spirit"

I managed to get out and see "the Spirit".  If you like the kinds of movies that are, "300", "Tank Girl", and "Once Upon A Time In Mexico", you'll like "The Spirit". It's a visual treat for anyone who likes comics and film noir.  It never takes itself too seriously, is campy at moments, but then, so are many comics. I would like to see it again. The combination of cast was interesting and fun.  

 

I would recommend it to many of the people I know, but they like similar films.

The Day The Earth Stood Still

Okay, I'm a big fan of the original movie, so going out to see the new one was kind of important to me. Let me ad that I also saw it in IMAX.  

The previews capture much of the story outline, the movie itself gives the viewer the details in getting there.  Though there were many nods to the original, the new movie is in many ways its own.  I, as a viewer, never felt peril, making the message in the movie muddled. It was left to the main character's [Helen Benson; Jennifer Connelly] emotions to lead me through. Her moment to shine seemed like a preplanned event, scheduled in the movie, with out enough to build to it, as good as it was. 

The effects were wonderfully detailed. My observations would lead me to believe that Weta did most of the environment dissolve shots, and Cinesite doing the sphere shots[Can someone confirm this?], based on their technical strengths. 

As for the message in the movie, being a child of the 70's, the be kind to the environment message was nothing new. With the media doing a mish mash, up and down job of conveying the same message over the last decade or so. As a kid, it was very much about don't be a litter bug, pick up after yourself, etc... without the cause of why I had something to throw away in the first place. I may have enjoyed the treat, but at what price?

So, yes, I liked it, but I have other movies I still want to see, and see again.

X-Files: I Want To Believe

Well, I made it out to see X-Files: I Want TO Believe. For only having come out Friday, I was only one of 3 people in the theater, kind of disappointing. I was an avid watcher of the show, I missed my share of them in the last few seasons, but I found the series entertaining. The movie has picked up quite some time after the series ended. I was hoping for something along the lines of the previous feature, but I felt something was missing. I enjoyed the plot line of Mulder & Scully, something that was tantalizingly glazed over in the series. The story they were wrapped up in seemed to lack something. I believed in the characters, but got the impression they were being led into the story, more so than in the series. I didn't always get the impression that the characters were working for the story, leaving the story a bit hollow. Overall the movie was executed very well, though everything wasn't in sync for a good flow. Good for an X-Files buff, but not many others I would imagine.

If you can't decide whether to see it or not, I hope this helps.

Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3D

I know most people are out helping The Dark Knight shatter new box office records this weekend, but I was catching "Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3D", to see the 3D process used. There are competing processes, one being RealD, the other Dolby 3D. Journey used the Dolby process. Both seem to be employing a polarized lens to trick the eye to see stereoscopic depth. The process was used quite well for most of the movie, with plenty of emphasis in the first fifteen minutes to let you know the film makers were having fun setting up how much 3D was going to be used to an extreme sense of depth. Even with one eye closed, there was only one of the two images visible. A drawback for me was a reflection I got off my glasses that showed up on the inside of the 3D glasses which got very annoying, prompting me to take my glasses off[Others will not be so lucky with this, depending on their prescription].

For a family action romp, the movie succeeded in keeping a good pace. Brendan Fraser's character was about the same as his "Mummy" alter ego, with a dash of science geek thrown in, but entertaining none the less. Josh Hutcherson looks even more comfortable in front of the camera, than he did for "Bridge to Terabithia". Anita Briem I had only seen before in a Doctor Who episode, and was happy to see her do so much more. Overall, I'd say "Journey To The Center Of The Earth 3D" was a fun romp, entertaining to see at least once, thought I suspect I won't see it again, there is a crowded cinema this summer, and a few more movie I'd like to see.

Condorman VS. Hancock

Okay, so I've seen the trailer for "Hancock", starring Will Smith. I am also a fan of "Condorman", the not-so-box-office-worthy comicbook hero movie from the early eighties. And seeing the poster for "Hancock" brought one image from "Condorman" to mind. To which I present those images to you, each is copyright the respective studio, used without permission, as a learning tool. At what point does one image infringe on another in Hollywood?

Because to me, they look a lot alike. Wouldn't you agree?