Friday, May 27, 2011

Attack the Block


British films are a tricky export. Usually you think, period piece. You might also think Edgar Wright films. Maybe Guy Ritchie. That's about it. Well, Screen Gems bought a neat little sci-fi horror film called Attack the Block. On May 25th, they screened it in 25 cities in the USA. Now they want everyone who saw it to spread the word about how good it is.

Well, it is pretty good. But let's not bury the lead. It is first and foremost a horror movie. If you have no interest in the genre, you won't find new life here. But if you like movies like Gremlins, you might do okay.

A group of British youth hooligans end up on the receiving end of an alien invasion. Its one of those, the hunter becomes the hunted. When we first see the kids, they're mugging a woman. Next thing you know, they're killing one of the aliens. Now all the rest of the aliens are after the kids. I won't spoil what's going on exactly, but that's the basic premise.

It's not without it's flaws. The design of the creatures is cool, but definitely a glaring excuse for a small budget. The kids have to go from being antagonists to protagonists, which it only accomplishes because there isn't a ton of character development, so you let it slide. But on the plus side, you get to see Nick Frost hanging about. Always a good thing.

Did you enjoy it?
Yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
No.

Would you buy it?
No.

Would you rent it?
No.

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

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Pirates 4: More Pirates


Did you enjoy it?
Actually quite a bit.

Would you see it in theaters again?
No.

Would you buy it?
No.

Would you rent it?
No.

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

Now that the questions are out of the way, here are two new ones.

Why do most of the critics hate this movie so much?
What is the deal with AMC not playing this movie correctly?

I read a lot of early reviews of this movie that made it sound like it was the worst thing in the world. Now, to start, I liked the first one, thought the second one was a little too long and bloated, and HATED the third one. I had no interest in seeing this one, until I almost died of boredom. So, I thought this would at least kill the clock, boredom wise. So, maybe it was super lowered expectations, but I thought it was not bad. They have scaled back, having shed Keira and Orlando. There are still way too many cast members. They are adding a minor role for a Missionary and mermaid love story. Some have said this should have been expanded, but I think it was wisely left as a small c-plot.

People have also complained that Jack Sparrow makes a good comic foil but a poor lead. I think it's half true. I like the idea of following a main character who is basically scamming everyone around him for his own means, but for this movie, they also try to soften him, which is the real mistake.

Thankfully, they dial back the action just enough. If they tried to top the huge noise maker of the 3rd one, my head would have likely exploded during this movie. It's smaller scale, which I think some people are upset about. If it's not bigger than the last one, then what's the point (sewn on America's coat of armor).

Now to my second question, you need to see this article:
http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2011/05/22/misuse_of_3_d_digital_lens_leaves_2_d_movies_in_the_dark/?page=1

Thanks to Dave for the link. We had been discussing this the day before I saw Pirates. I told him that thankfully I had never experienced that. Guess I shouldn't have jinxed myself. It was so murky, but watchable, so I did not get up to complain. I usually get surveys emailed after movies, so I am hoping to use that time to complain. But it was ridiculous at some points.

Anyways, if you have any affinity for the Pirates movies, you'll be fine. Its a fitting sequel.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Bridesmaids


Bridesmaids. What can I say at this point? Everyone is saying "don't call it a chick flick". And it really isn't. It may have an all woman main cast, but I think of a chick flick as a romantic comedy. It is a negative connotation for dudes. But as a dude, don't be scared of this film. It is super funny.

Written by Kristin Wiig and her old improv partner (the woman on the plane that says they're going to crash). There is something here for everyone. Broad humor, crude humor, a lot of uncomfortable humor (and by that I mean like the British Office). Although I have heard from TV critics and co-workers that the crude humor is the worst part, it was also the part that got the loudest laughs by the patrons at my screening.

Kristin Wiig plays a character down on her luck. She lost her company (a bakery), her boyfriend (now she bangs a male slut played by John Hamm) and now she thinks she's losing her best friend to marriage. From there we basically see her self destruct. I'm interested to see The Hangover II only because I would like to quickly decide what the funniest movie of the summer will be (my bet is on Bridesmaids)...stay tuned.

Did you enjoy it?
Yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Probably.

Would you buy it?
Possibly.

Would you rent it?
Likely.

Would you watch it if you saw it was on TV?
Abso-lutely.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Priest 3..ah no Doy!


I didn't win passes to Bridesmaids this week... but I did get to see Priest 3D! YAY! Besides, I will gladly pay to see Bridesmaids, I hear it's awesome. And it stars my wife...

http://www.bridesmaidsmovie.com/trailerfeature/?id=1305236519943

Anyways, remember when I went to see Legion? No, well I did. Same actor, same director. Same themes (religion).

http://krullnugget.blogspot.com/2010/01/jesus-that-pt-2-legion.html

Well, this is better than that. Some decent action. No real character development. You see one of the twists a mile away and it "ends" ready for the sequel. In fact, at 87 minutes, they probably had time to wrap up the sequel in this run time.

Can we talk for a minute about how unscary fake CGI monsters are in general? I Am Legend. The book is great and creepy. The movie: a big turd. The Thor snow monster? Crap (but is killed in a cool fashion). Sightless, eyeless vampire monsters that just kind of "ROAR" at you constantly. I'm not shaking in my boots, that's for sure.

The 3D conversion was okay. Even with dark scenes, everything was visible (enough). Still, if you have the option, I'd say go 2D. And if you really have the option, go see Bridesmaids instead of this. It was written by Kristin Wiig and produced by Judd Apatow and rated R.



Did you enjoy it?
Eh.

Would you see it in theaters again?
No.

Would you buy it?
No.

Would you rent it?
No.

Would you watch it if you saw it was on TV?
Nah. Well, maybe.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Armed Robbery and Lights Out


Last night was interesting. Let's start with the most interesting. After losing our last volleyball game of the regular season (scheduled at a dreary 10:20pm start time) Mrs. Nugget and I exited the Drucker Center to find about 15 cops arresting someone in the parking lot. I heard someone say "Do we have the victim?" as we passed. Everything seemed to be under control, so we headed out to the North/Clybourn stop. When we get to the south platform stairwell, we see a jacket and backpack on the ground. As our train arrives we see the police arrive to pick up the items and search the platform. Word on the street (J.Miller reporting) is that it was an armed robbery.



A View to a Kill

Now we travel back in time to 7:30pm the same night. We're watching Dexter season 2 on Netflix instant (the TV won't play the netflix app, so we're forced to use the non-HD version on the Wii). With about 5 minutes left in the episode we lose power. At first I assume we blew a fuse. That seems pretty crazy for a big complex like our building to lose power, but hey it might happen. Then we hear the fire trucks. We go out to the porch to discover the whole building is dark. I go into our hallway and it is pitch black (no windows in the hall). There is periodic black smoke coming out of the loading dock, which also happens to be where the stairwell exits.

We hang out on the porch to watch neighbors gather on the 3rd floor patio. It seemed like all of the residents who had dogs were the ones trying to flee, everyone else was just hanging out and watching the action. The firemen were walking, not running, usually a good sign things are fine.

It is funny how quickly you realize what you can't do without power.
1. Use the elevator (a few people got stuck, that would be the worst)
2. Use most of our security doors that open with a FOB (all propped open with fire extinguishers)
3. The lobby doors (motion sensor activated, no door handles, also propped open with fire extinguishers)

We got out through the stairs (thank you flashlight app) and walked past the firemen as they left. Of course we assumed the power would be back on by the time we got home at 11:30, but that turned out to not be the case. Some lights had been restored in the common area (hallways) but the stairs were still dimly lit with the emergency lights at each level flickering like in a horror movie (that's real!).

Power was restored at 3:30am. I know because I was made aware by how bright my alarm clock is (apparently) and the TV coming back on (weird). With everything else on, we're back to normal, right? Nope. When leaving for work this morning, the elevators buttons don't light up. So it's down the nine flights of stairs once more. I'm gonna have sick calves in time for swimsuit season.

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/chibrknews-minor-power-outages-in-streeterville-20110509,0,648525.story

The End (?)

Friday, May 6, 2011

The week that was: May 2-6th

The Pork Chops were able to win 2/3 matches without me damaging my knees this week. http://yfrog.com/h02vhtwj

I got to witness a "No Hitter" against my White Sox in person. In spite of that, had a great time boozing with the fellas.

At work, I got locked my office's stairwell and had to walk up 8 flights (on purpose) then down 17 (not on purpose). My calves are still sore.

Spent 2 1/2 hours in Lake Forest, IL for work (highlight of the week?)

...

Get to take the train to Libertyville tonight! Plus, don't have to TAKE IT BACK HOME!

Saturday means BBQ double date. Possibly wear a "Derby".

Sunday is Mother's Day. That means the In-Laws (and free lunch).


Have a great weekend, Nuggeteers!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Thor (short for Thorton?)

Marvel Comics have done a great job of getting their "second tier" comics to the big screen. Who really knew who Iron Man was prior to 2008? It was all part of their plan. Get good actors and good directors to bring their characters to the big screen. This year they have two movies that help blaze the trail for The Avengers next summer.

Looking at their stable of cartoons, Thor always seemed the most risky. They made Iron Man rooted in reality, similar to Batman. In the case of Thor, he's a Norse God. So, it's hard to make that based in reality. But that's kind of the point. It's a cartoon character. And that's how they play it. The best comparison would be to Superman Pt II (the one where he loses his power). And you know what, it's pretty good.

The biggest issues I have with the film have little to do with the content itself. One, as usual, the 3D aspect is garbage. The first action scenes take place at night and you can't see anything that is happening. If you plan on seeing this film, skip the 3D version. The second issue is the way it is shot. Dutch angles constantly. I understand wanting to do something different, but I don't think having the camera askew all the time is the best way to accomplish that. It's super annoying.

What I was most afraid of was Thor's wig. It looked pretty terrible in the trailers, but it looks pretty good in the film. They also did a great job in casting. There are good actors filling in all the roles large and small. It's the little things like that they get right. They also find a better balance of having S.H.I.E.L.D. involved without overtaking the plot (which is what happened to Iron Man 2). Apparently Thor mythology has something called a rainbow road that could have looked super stupid, but is dealt with well.

P.S. Don't forget to stay through the credits to see the scene where they tie this film to Captain America and the Avengers.

Did you enjoy it?
Surprisingly, yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Yes. The screening was in 3D and I would like to see it in 2D.

Would you buy it?
Nah.

Would you rent it?
Maybe.

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