Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Trading one Nightmare for Another



Sergio
Clash of the Titans smells of a film that the studio meddled. There are hints of characters that have no rhyme or reason to exist. There are loose plot threads left behind, quickly wrapped up or ignored. Case and point. There are two love interests. Neither interesting.

Sergio
I have seen the original. Other than being in awe of the original Kraken, I absolutely put the original in the category "Go Ahead and Remake It". I'd almost have preferred to have them just remake the original script with new special effects. While hammy, there was some general character development and tension.

Sergio
I'm so glad I didn't see this in 3D. I could barely follow some of the action scenes. Had they been jutting out into my face, I would have likely thrown up all over Mole. But the special effects for the most part are pretty good. The scorpions look pretty real. Although they do suffer from "Fire Horse Syndrome" in that sometimes they move super fast and some times they move super slow for no reason.

Sergio
The acting isn't terrible. The one exception is our buzzcut hero, Sam Worthington has got to go. He couldn't grow out a half inch of hair for the part. I'm not asking for Harry Hamlin flowing locks. Pete Postlethwaite looks sickly. I'm seriously worried about him.

Sergio
The look of Mount Olympus is pretty cool. The Greek Gods are okay. But again, I feel like there is a lot more that could have been done with them. Zeus has Hades release the Kraken, but I could have sworn the Kraken was a sea creature, so shouldn't he be run by Poseidon? Also, I like the look of the Kraken. He's kind of a hodge podge of sea creatures (don't ask how I know it's a he, but it is).

Also, Sergio is in this movie. At least that's what kept running through my head when I saw one of Perseus' men on screen.

Did you enjoy it?
Sure. Why not.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Nope. One free was plenty.

Would you buy it?
Nope.

Would you rent it?
Meh.

Would you watch it if you saw it was on TV?
Yep.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Tales from the Road


Last Friday I tried to set up my mobile blog. Sadly, it was not meant to be. Instead, here's a recap:
beach time
frisbee
sandbars
drinks
dinner
ice cream
walks
shopping
mini golf
pool
...repeat

Friday, April 23, 2010

The Losers

Hey, ever heard of the A-Team? If not, there's a movie version coming out this summer. If you can't wait and don't have TV Land then you have The Losers to hold you over until then. Based on a comic of the same name, its the story of a group of CIA(?) military who are betrayed and presumed dead. Now, they are out to clear their name.

The thing that this movie wants you to know, there are good guys and bad guys. They try to blur the lines with some character choices, but the bad guys are really bad (people get shot because it is windy). The good guys are really good (they give up their seats for little kids).

That creates a dichotomy for this movie. My plus one was overheard saying "it was really violent". But this movie really tows the line. There is no blood. I don't remember any swearing. I haven't checked, but I think the movie is PG-13. That doesn't mean it doesn't have satisfying action. It does mean that we get a lot of tranquilizer darts instead of bullets. But hey, they're the good guys, they're not supposed to be killing everyone in sight. There is action, but not bloody violence. More like rough fights and sleeper holds.

I wasn't expecting much and got plenty. This movie is like stretching before the big game. In this metaphor, the movie is stretching and the big game is Summer season. It gets you ready so you don't get hurt. Or maybe it's like water after the big game... Okay, I'm getting off track. Let's get to the questions.


Did you enjoy it?
yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
no.

Would you buy it?
no.

Would you rent it?
yes.

Would you watch it if you saw it was on TV?
yes.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Kick-A$$

Of course, yours truly would find time during his tropical vacation to see a movie. It has to rain at least one day during my vacation every year. And it was either this, or sit and watch the 5 channels of weather that Florida provides to it's residents.

There has been a little bit of controversy around this movie. A little girl does grown up things (no, not that, gross!). She is known as "Hit Girl" and she decimates the bad guys. She uses foul language. Our very own Roger Ebert hated the movie. Saying it is too violent (paraphrasing and condensing) and has no moral compass.

But how is it? Well that's hard to describe. It wants to be two things. Even from the tagline above, they want you to know these are just real people, not 'super' heroes. And that's the case for about half of the movie. As we round that corner of the second act we move into fantasy super hero mode. As long as you're okay with the genre shift, you'll be fine. That's assuming you were on board before.

Nic Cage continues his trail of odd performances. I'm really beginning to enjoy just how out there he can become. When in costume he has a very strange elocution in his delivery. Hit Girl will be everyone's favorite. Expect to see a few of her costumes this Halloween. The title character "Kick-Ass" is okay. He's like Zach Levi on CHUCK. A handsome model made up to look geeky. Hey, it's Hollywood.

I would say it was good. I was entertained, but if you look a few posts back, this was a movie I was very excited for. It did not live up to the hype. Well, there's always Iron Man in a couple weeks. Fingers crossed.

Did you enjoy it?
yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
possibly.

Would you buy it?
probably not.

Would you rent it?
probably so.

Would you watch it if you saw it was on TV?
yes.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Videogum Shout Out

Guess who got a shout out from Videogum*?

http://videogum.com/171342/hey-whats-up-with-topher-grace-7/franchises/whats-up-with-topher-grace/

Looks like it pays to be one of the first four guys to see a post on another site and then email it to someone.

*fourth paragraph, and yes that's legit.

Greenberg


Ben Stiller goes slumming with a squid and a whale to flex his serious acting chops. It's like he never missed a beat since Permanent Midnight. A movie by Noah Baumbach is never going to be about plot. Its going to be about the characters. And Stiller hitched himself to the right wagon.

The movie isn't without it's flaws. I consider myself an open minded person who enjoys things that don't really fall into the category known as "Run of the Mill". But to say that middle America would enjoy this movie would be giving them too much credit. To illustrate my point, a grandma with a walker left about 20 minutes into the movie.

Baumbach is known for his tales of the educated elite. He made one of my all time favorite movies (Kicking and Screaming). But that was a wonderful gem discovered one night on Cinemax (yeah they have vangard stuff as well as their skin flicks). This movie does ask a lot of you. The story revolves around a self centered a$$face. Movie Mole and I discussed if Greenberg actually learns anything by the end of the movie. I'd say it could go either way, but does have a positive spin.

It's worth it to see the movie for Ben Stiller alone. When's the last time you could say that.

Did you enjoy it?
Yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
No.

Would you buy it?
No.

Would you rent it?
Yes.

Would you watch it if you saw it was on TV?
Yes.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Vacation (all I ever wanted...)

Two days until I'm on the sandy beaches of gulf side Florida.
Until then, what's going on?

Found a sweet 90's radio station to stream at work
http://www.90sbuzz.com/

Bought a new suitcase


Bought some patio furniture


Bought Aziz Ansari tix


Buying tix to my first White Sox game of the season


...I should pralle stop buying things right before a big vacation (except the suitcase).

Waking Sleeping Beauty


I don't see enough documentaries in theaters. I like the genre in general (did I just write a new album title?) but the topics are rarely engaging to the point where I want to spend $11 to see one. But this one was on my radar. Can you name the three movies between Fox and the Hound and Beauty and the Beast? Now that you're back from wikipedia it was The Great Mouse Detective, Black Cauldron, and The Rescuers Down Under (and you can add Oliver & Co. if you want). So this movie is about how the animation department changed guard from the old timers, lost their historic building on the Disney lot and came up with some great new animated movies to rejuvenate the mouse house.

From 1984 to 1994 there were a lot of changes at Disney. The biggest thing that the general public is aware about is that they made Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and The Lion King. Behind the scenes they brought in a lot new talent / management to get their Donald Ducks in a row.

Built on a lot of home movies by the animators with narration by everyone involved you get a surprisingly candid look at the company that calls their janitors "cast members". It's awesome. If you can't find it in theaters, it will be a must for your rental.

Did you enjoy it?
Yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
No.

Would you buy it?
Possibly. It would be my first documentary.

Would you rent it?
Yes.

Would you watch it if you saw it was on TV?
Yes.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Happy Birthday, Mole

There is a man I love out there (no homo). He's getting older today. He's been a contributor to Krull Nugget. And he's been a great friend for many years. So let's all wish him the best on the anniversary of his birth.

HAPPY B-DAY MOLE!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

The "Modern Family" Challenge


Alright, enough already. Everyone I know loves "Modern Family". I do not. But I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is. Last time it was because no one would shut up about "The Wire" which is super awesome. So I'm willing to take that chance.

When "Modern Family" gets all their episodes streaming or the 1st season DVD is released, I will watch them all in sequence. Then I will make my ruling. There will be no appeal. This is the Supreme Court.

And to be fair, I also watched Parks and Recreation then tossed it aside casually. But I'm glad I gave it a second chance, because it is really great.

But on the other hand, its not like I haven't seen it before. I had my DVR set. I watched the first couple. I've seen a few. I watched it last night. Here's my problem, it's like "Meet the Parents". These people get into predicaments. And they're outlandish. But I will save that for the post show post.

Until then, BACK OFF!