Thursday, June 14, 2012

Get the Gringo


Don't believe anything the poster above tells you. The movie isn't called "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" nor is it coming out this summer (unless you call DTV coming out). With this movie, Mel has entered the "Late 90's early 00's Schwarzenegger" stage of his career.

The movie tries to be Payback's Porter South of the Border. Mostly because it centers around a tough guy who's focused on getting his money back. Only this time, he's stuck in a Mexican jail community. People are allowed to come and go in this jail. I'm not sure if it is based on a real thing, but it was one of the harder parts of the plot for me to believe. The other part was one of the jailhouse residents who apparently live in a jail penthouse and keep kids to have liver transplants. Never mind.

Did you enjoy it?
Eh.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Good luck with that.

Would you buy it?
Nerp.

Would you rent it?
No.

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

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Detention


This is "kitchen sink" movie making. Teen comedy. Check. Romance. Check. Oh, and don't forget time travel, slasher, sci fi and 90's period film. And you know what, it's pretty good. When I say "good" I mean I'm glad I saw it. The best way I can describe it is a fever dream.

I really don't think I can describe the plot. But if you're open to new things and have pop sensibilities, it is worth checking out.

Did you enjoy it?
Sure.

Would you see it in theaters again?
No.

Would you buy it?
No.

Would you rent it?
Maybe.

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

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

American Reunion


Eight movies (4 released in theaters with the "real" cast). Eugene Levy was in all of them. In practice, American Reunion is a great idea. It has been about 15 years since the the original hit theaters. You could just start doing reunion movies every 5 years or so. But...judging by this movie, the next one will be in 30 years called "American Funeral"(how great would it be if that were true).

Picking up many years after American Wedding, everyone is scattered all over the U.S. and decide to come back for their 13 year reunion. Technically it has been 13 years but I'm not sure it makes more sense to have them explain why they're doing a reunion this year versus just fudging the dates and say it is their 15 year reunion.

The movie is pretty terrible. The usual litmus test for a comedy is laughs, but are few to be found here. Which is a shame, because they've got a pretty good cast (no, not you, Chris Klein).

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?
Eh.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Conan in Chicago

Mrs. Nugget, @CircleGetSquare, @LisaHammertime and I attended the Monday taping to CONAN in Chicago at the Chicago Theatre. So much fun. We're TiVo-ing it tonight to see if we made it on camera in the crowd.

Nice seats! ROW B!

#CHICOCO

The Gang

The Set

Conan chatting w/ the band during a "commercial"

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Cabin in the Woods


For all the hype around the big "twist" of the movie, they reveal what it is in the first scene. And the movie is better for it. I would consider this a mainstream horror movie. Some compare it to Scream, and I'd say that's fair, but not for the reason they think when they say it. Above all, Scream was a smart slasher film. Well, The Cabin in the Woods is much the same way in that it's about kids going to the woods to party and finding they're not alone there. But that really does a disservice to what Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard have done here.

Of course there are the detractors of the film, too. Too many jokes. Not that scary. The ending is a mess. It should have been done this way. Sadly, they're missing the point. It is fun. That's what you're supposed to have at the movies, fun. Too many times recent horror films are devoid of fun. They're the truly base elements of "let's see what we can get away with" or just plain human misery for 90 minutes. And guess what. This movie points that out with their commentary too.

The best part of the screenplay is there is something here for everyone (not just in the third act). If you're a fan of horror films, you will see a lot of things turned on their heads. If you're not as familiar with every horror movie trope, there is a lot of fun to be had here. Plus, again it is also very funny. And the acting is great (Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins being my favs).

Did you enjoy it?
Yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Already did.

Would you buy it?
...maybe.

Would you rent it?
Sure. Some parts require pausing.

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

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Lockout


I first saw the trailer when the movie was called "MS-1" (stands for maximum security one) and it was just a scene of Guy Pierce getting interrogated and punched. Sounded cool at the time. The actual movie is garbage. Horrible CGI effects. Terrible "acting". And even with a stupid plot and twists that no one cares about, I was going to let that slide, until the ending. It unravels with scene after scene of stupidity. Not "turn your brain off" stupidity. Just dumb. It's bad. Woof.

Did you enjoy it?
Nope.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Ugh, I saw online that it is still playing in theaters. Please, go away!

Would you buy it?
Noooo.

Would you rent it?
Pass.

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

Monday, April 30, 2012

Goon


Goon is a nice little indie hockey movie. The overall message is a good one about finding your place in this world. Plus it's got dudes beating the hell out of each other.

Seann William Scott plays Doug. He's a big tough idiot, who works as a bouncer. He gets discovered by a local hockey team after his friend taunts a hockey player in the penalty box until he climbs into the stands. So Doug fights him and kicks the crap out of him. He can't skate, but gets put in the game as the team's "goon". He's just there to fight.

The movie has some nice themes and overall is very pleasant. I couldn't get 'Movie Mark' to attend and verify how accurate the hockey play is, but they got quite a few crowds for the big scenes, which was good. I could see the script getting one more draft and becoming a sharp narrative, but as it stands, it will definitely be a good rental or a nice surprise if you find it on TV one night.

Did you enjoy it?
Yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Maybe.

Would you buy it?
No.

Would you rent it?
Yes.

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

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Hunger Games


Last year when they started casting my only thought was "who cares" and "another Twilight"? Then when Amazon offered a cheap kindle copy of the book, I decided to get it. Yes, it is a young adult series. But it's definitely refreshing to see this kind of post apocalypse tale become so popular.

In the future there are 12 districts all run by "the Capitol". Every year all the districts are required to supply one girl and one boy to participate in a royal rumble. Last person standing wins. The movie plays fairly close to the book. Similar to the Harry Potter series, cuts are made where needed to be streamlined.

My main issue with the film is how it was shot. Gary Ross (the director) said he wanted to use 'shaky-cam' to give you the feel of poverty stricken District 12. It really just makes me naseous. But he's not coming back for the sequel. Hopefully the new director will be able to frame the action in more epic fashion.

Mrs. Nugget has not read the books and she enjoyed the movie. Mrs. Nugget's dad had read the book and he liked the movie better. So, there are two ringing endorsements.

Did you enjoy it?
Yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Yes (and did)

Would you buy it?
No.

Would you rent it?
Maybe.

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

Monday, April 23, 2012

Casa De Mi Padre


So, now Will Ferrell is taking his grown man-child persona south of the border. But if you're looking for Anchorman en espanol, you won't find it here. What you will find is a telenovela with bad edits (on purpose) and heightened emotional outbreaks. From the first scene, Ferrell goes to pick up a cow (brown and white, probably 500lbs) and then in the next cut it's black and weighs about 70lbs. That sets the tone so you know what you're in for.

This one will be remembered mostly as a minor work and a curiosity more than anything else. Some kid in college in 10 years will say "hey have you ever seen that Spanish language Will Ferrell movie?"

Did you enjoy it?
Not as much as my Spanish speaking plus one did.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Nah.

Would you buy it?
No.

Would you rent it?
Eh.

Would you watch it if you saw it was on TV?
Pralle not.

John Carter of Mars


The nefarious FILM CRITIC HULK does a great job of dissecting the screenplay to this movie here. If you have the time and interest you should definitely read it. The main problem with this movie is three fold.

1. Too late. The book used as the source material for this movie has been cherry picked of most plot points. To be fair, the book is 100 years old. Supposedly George Lucas wanted to make this into a movie in the 70's and couldn't get the rights, or funding or something. So he went ahead and made Star Wars instead. Ha. But my point is most science fiction stories (films, tv, games) have taken some part of the plot of the "Princess of Mars" books over the century. It was never going to be a fresh tale.

2. Too confusing. When Disney settled on making this film, they really wanted it to be epic. What they ended up commissioning was a jumbled mess with too many clans, characters, openings and endings. If I recall correctly, there are 5 sides to the war in this movie. The two mortal "red skins". One group wears blue, the other have red clothes. Then there are the 4 armed actual "martians". Then we have the super-beings that are like the observers (if you watch Fringe). Lastly, we have John Carter, our hero. That's just me listing the sides. The plot would take too much time for me to lay out. Plus it's not worth it.

3. Marketing. You knew the movie was in trouble when it went from "Princess of Mars" (because Disney was afraid no boys would show up) to "John Carter of Mars" (really butched it up) and then ended on the super generic "John Carter" (because the recent failure of the cartoon "Mars Needs Mom" must have failed due to the word Mars). Now to be fair, when your story is as convoluted as this movie, I'm sure it's no easy task to market. That being said, there is a fair amount of action you can cherry pick to make it seem like an action epic. Just fool enough people the first week to get butts in seats, no?

All of this really was too bad, because big budget stories should be fun. Plus the director made Wall-E for goodness sake. Come on, man! How do you go from that to this? That movie had heart, scope and action. I'm going to have to believe that had little to do with you, which might be unfair, but the proof is in the pudding.

Did you enjoy it?
Eh.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Nope. (try to find it, anyways)

Would you buy it?
Nope.

Would you rent it?
No.

Would you watch it if you saw it was on TV?
Pralle not.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

21 Jump Street


I think I have covered this before? It feels like deja vu. Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing. Rarely are fond memories as good as what actually happened. Sometimes you get something that lives on the perifery and someone makes it even better. This is one of those times.

I vaguely remember 21 Jump Street. I don't think I ever actually saw an episode. But I am well aware of the main conceit. Send some young cops to go under cover in a high school. Sounds perfect for the Hollywood grinder remake machine.

In the film, a police captain played by Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson of Parks and Recreation) admits that an old program from the 80's is being re-activated, thus making this movie exist in the same world. He says it is due to lack of imagination (take that Hollywood). And he sends down Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum to join the squad. When they arrive at 21 Jump Street (the address) they meet their new captain, Ice Cube. He admits to being the stereotypical angry captain. We see other squads who are going to other high schools. I was really glad they didn't water down the group to include too many undercover characters. Hill and Tatum went to school together (one was the nerd, the other a jock). Together in the academy they realize that together they make one whole cop.

I don't want to go beat by beat, but honestly, it is a really funny movie. It has love an affection for spoofs in the same way Edgar Wright did in Hot Fuzz. If you like silly comedy (without being stupid like all the Scary Movie knockoffs) you'll like this movie.

Did you enjoy it?
Yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Yes and did.

Would you buy it?
Yes.

Would you rent it?
Yes.

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

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Woman in Black


You don't get a lot of period piece horror anymore. Now everyone is connected to everyone else and everything at all times. I think that is why movies like this can be even scarier. Besides getting a good scare, it can make you fear isolation.

The central spooky mystery surrounds a house in the middle of a marsh / bog and the spirits that reside there. An elderly lady has passed away and someone needs to put her estate in order. But no one in town dare go there, so a depressed lawyer from London is dispatched to get the papers sorted. He lost his wife in childbirth and now basically ignores the son born from her passing. He loves him, but can't get over his wife's death.

Meanwhile "The Woman in Black" is known for taking the town's children (by convincing them to kill themselves). This is because years ago her child was taken from her. As with anything in life, we search for answers. As Daniel Radcliffe tries to solve the mystery and put the spirit to rest, we are left to wonder if it is all in his fragile mind, or really happening to him.

This is a nice little haunted house movie. I got chills a couple of times from the film. I like the ending but then they tack on a little coda that was meant to make way for possible sequels, as is almost always the case with horror (Plus as I write this, they're getting ready to make a sequel). Plus I looked at that poster quite a few times at the theater before it came out and only now just noticed the hidden face.

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.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Chronicle


Found footage is an interesting genre of film. It lets you get away with lower production values. But it can also become a lazy man tool. It is mostly used in conjunction with the horror genre. But now we have a merger of the superhero and found footage. An origin tale in the first degree.

I would compare this film mostly to Unbreakable. In this case, three high school kids find a weird glowing rock in the forest. After coming in contact with it, they start to develop mental powers (telepathy and flight, etc). Of course you can't have a movie with a protagonist and an antagonist. One uses their powers for good, one uses their powers for evil.

For what it is, the movie is surprisingly good. The special effects are cool and look realistic. But more than that, the kids who are in the movie portray their predicament in a way that's believable. You feel for these guys. Like Magneto and Professor X, who were once friends but are now enemies.

Did you enjoy it?
Sure.

Would you see it in theaters again?
No.

Would you buy it?
No.

Would you rent it?
Unlikely.

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

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Ghost Rider 2


The first Ghost Rider movie was pretty bad. The sequel had promise (in theory) because the gonzo minds behind the Crank movies were going to be making it. Nope. Ghost Rider is 0 for 2. It is just terrible. And to add on top of it, it doesn't even have good 'crazy' Nic Cage.

On the minuscule bright side, Anthony Stewart Head (Giles from Buffy) is in the movie for a split second.

Did you enjoy it?
Nope.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Heck No.

Would you buy it?
Pass.

Would you rent it?
Negative.

Would you watch it if you saw it was on TV?
No.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Adventures of Tin Tin


With so many great people involved in bringing this Belgian Comic to the big screen, you would think it would be a lock. Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, Edgar Wright. But the result is somewhat hollow experience. Plus I took my 3D glasses off for a while during the movie and a lot of it technically wasn't in 3D. So, that's a bummer.

I would love to talk to someone who liked the comic and see what they thought. But supposedly most of the fans are European. I'm not Continental enough. My main problem with the story is that Tin Tin really has no business being involved in all the mystery. At any single point during the movie, he could just walk away. He has no real invested interest.

The story starts with Tin Tin buying a model ship at an open market. Just by chance there are two other people who show up really wanting to buy it. Good ole happenstance. Then he keeps getting attacked because our "villain" wants the boat. He discovers a map, goes on a wild cross country adventure, and finds out the treasure was in his heart the whole time. Or something like that. After the first few gunfights, I'd probably bow out.

It is an assault on the senses and more than anything, a letdown. Plus it lives in the uncanny valley.

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?
Probably not.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (USA)


I do not understand people. Now, I enjoyed the story told in movie (and I would guess more graphically in the book that I haven't read). But how this can become a nation's best seller, I have no idea. The things that happen here are the type of things that supposedly appall middle America (which, you know, I'm from, so forget stereotypes).

The plot for those of you living under a rock involves a disgraced journalist and a psychotic / autistic heroine solving a years old mystery. Spoiler alert, it turns out the woman who disappeared isn't dead. And one of the cousins is a Nazi murderer.

This is book one of a three book trilogy. They were all made in Sweden (the origin of the novels) a few years ago. They were released in America by Music Box Films (the distribution wing of the Music Box Theatre on Southport Ave in Chicago).

I do love what David Fincher does with these movies. I still have to go back and watch the foreign versions on Netflix Instant, but I doubt I will enjoy them anymore than what he did. It's just a dark movie with weird characters and another great Reznor / Finch soundtrack.

Did you enjoy it?
Yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Yes.

Would you buy it?
No.

Would you rent it?
Yes.

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

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Sherlock Holmes and the Game of Shadows



It looks like we'll get a new Sherlock Holmes sequel every couple years. But unfortunately, if this sequel is the case, we'll lose more and more of the mystery element.

Since the movie came out in December, let's blow through the plot, shall we? We start a while after our last outing. But we're still following Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) and her mysterious benefactor, Professor Moriarty (the Sherlock novels' longtime nemesis). He dispatches with her for betrayal (if you watched any of the trailers, you knew that was coming). This sends a heartbroken Holmes out for vengeance.

The rest of the plot revolves around Moriarty trying to overthrow governments and people with old timey plastic surgery. The same camera tricks with slow motion and narration about what is going to happen as it happens is present again.

So long after I saw it, I find it hard to think back and think of any exciting set pieces. They were loud, but memorable, not so much.

Did you enjoy it?
Less than the first one.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Nope. I spent the extra money in D-Box and boy was it not worth it.

Would you buy it?
No.

Would you rent it?
Nah.

Would you watch it if you saw it was on TV?
Unless it was a marathon with the first one, no.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Monday, January 30, 2012

Reel Steel



When I first saw the trailer of this movie I thought it had to be one of those joke trailers that they do on Saturday Night Live. Then I remembered that it's only funny because it's true that we live in a world where Hollywood would make a movie about Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots.

And you know what, the other surprise is, that the movie is pretty good. They take a classic formula, humans (and their robots) down on their luck. The underdog story is always a good one. Who doesn't root for the underdog. Plus it has the added bonus of taking the plot of OVER THE TOP is never a bad idea (right?).

The movie takes you through the world of robot boxing (and some county fair action too). From underground unlicensed fights, to the Rockyesque end where our underdogs fight the top seated heavyweight contender. It does play it on the sappy side at times, but never takes it over the edge.

Did you enjoy it?
Yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Eh. Probably not.

Would you buy it?
No.

Would you rent it?
No.

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

Friday, January 27, 2012

The Grey



Liam Neeson's face is all the marketing department needs to sell this movie. Maybe it's because I sat in the front row, but I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. People seem to really like this movie.


Aint It Cool News

CHUD and CHUD

Roger Ebert

Badass Digest

And I guess it does deliver on its promise. Liam Neeson and seven other plane crash survivors against some wolves.

The way Joe Carnahan shoots this movie is exactly the opposite that Soderbergh did for Haywire. Quick cuts everywhere (again, super sucky in the front row). But this was surely used to help with hiding the wolves otherwise we'd have two crappy CGI wolf movies two weeks in a row (anyone going to see Underworld?).

There are some interesting notions that are more cliff's notes of character arc than actual characters in the movie. But I give it points for not just trotting out in the snow without knowing who these guys are. And the deaths (FYI they don't all make it...) are unique enough to stave off boredom.

But I have two big issues. And I'm not about to rent a nature documentary on wolves to find out. There are way too many wolves. The men jump from one side of a cliff to another to escape wolves and there are more wolves there immediately. Really? And secondly, beware the marketing campaign. If you've seen the trailer, then they're trying to trick you into thinking the best part of the movie is something it's not. Well played Marketing Dept., well played.

Did you enjoy it?
It delivered what it promised.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Maybe in the back row to get a contrast to what I saw in the front row.

Would you buy it?
No.

Would you rent it?
No. I have to rent that wolf documentary first.

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

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Haywire



One sentence summary: Steven Soderbergh has made an action movie. That's going to either sell you or not. The music reminds me of Out of Sight. Other people say it reminds them of The Limey (haven't seen it). The guy sitting behind me at the theater complained about how much he hated it for 30 minutes and then fell asleep. How do I know he was asleep? Because he was snoring (true story). Then when it was over, he said "there's 90 minutes of my life I will never get back". If you had seen this guy, you'd become immediately aware that he's wasted a lot of his life will continue to do so for a long time. But I'm getting off topic.

This movie is a slow burn. It has some great action set pieces. And most importantly, Soderbergh hired Gina Carano to be the star. She was an MMA fighter and shows off her moves. Haywire is shot beautifully. Great angles frame the fight scenes and let them play out. No quick cuts. I think that's what fatty was so upset about. He could see the plot unfold.

Similar to Contagion, not everything in this movie is spelled out for you. Say for instance you fall asleep for 45 minutes, you won't know who's good and who's bad and where you are in time (the movie capitalizes on a lot of flashbacks). It's a smart man's action film. The Expendables this ain't. Haywire is filled to the brim with good actors in all of the main roles. That helps cover for a newbie (Carano). But although she doesn't blow them away, she does her best to hold her own.

The movie is not without it's problems, but they're minor. A good winter release.

Did you enjoy it?
Yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
Maybe.

Would you buy it?
Nah.

Would you rent it?
Eh.

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

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Sitter



This will be known as the last fat Jonah Hill movie (until he gets fat again...). He was just nominated for an Academy Award, not for this movie, for the other one he was in this year, Moneyball. So hopefully that will ease the pain of having to remember he made this movie.

That's not fair. There were a lot of people dumping on this movie when it came out. My excitement petered by all the critic bashing, of which I am usually immune. Then I remember that the makers of this movie also made last year's YOUR HIGHNESS. But it is unfair to compare different movies if they're not sequels, prequels, etc. How was this movie on its own merit. Mildly funny. Sold as a foul-mouthed version of Adventures In Babysitting, that's probably the easiest description.

There are a lots of character outlines / stereotypes. Actors try their hardest to make the material work, with Sam Rockwell trying (and failing) the hardest. Jonah Hill gets asked to babysit last minute so his mom can go on a date. He's watching a kid who might be gay, a young girl already wrapped up in celebrity gossip world (even though she can't explain anything about it), and then there is Rodrigo. He's been adopted but just acts like a sociopath.

If you're looking for a movie like Adventures in Babysitting, I would suggest renting Adventures in Babysitting.

Did you enjoy it?
It wasn't as bad as the critics would have you believe.

Would you see it in theaters again?
No.

Would you buy it?
No.

TV or Streaming?
Probably.

Would your parents like it?
Probably not.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Academy Award Nominees


*UPDATE*
We've got our nominees. I'm actually pretty surprised by a lot of these. And I've already seen people call "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" the worst movie ever nominated for an Academy Award. Even though I tried my best to not see any possible nominated movies, I have already seen Moneyball and Midnight In Paris (boo). But I still plan on attending the AMC BPS. They said they will have the details of the showcase up on their website by Friday. Good luck to everyone. 


(*original post from December 15, 2011)



It is going to be quiet around here for the next month or so. Looking over my screenings, I haven't been to the AMC by my house since October. And the last movie I saw (The Muppets) was at the Roosevelt Icon a month ago. But I will make up the time by going to the Best Picture Showcase in February. I am going to try and avoid all the possible Best Picture Nominees over the holidays and watch all 10 in one marathon viewing.

I am going to see The Adventures of Tin Tin, Sherlock Holmes (in D-Box again) and Mission Impossible 4 (this Saturday at the IMAX with 6 minutes of Dark Knight in front of it, YAY). But other than that it's going to be a quiet Christmas.

See you this winter...

We Bought A Zoo



Over the Christmas holiday, the family usually gets together to see a movie. This year (on both sides) no one could come to a decision on what to see. That led us to see We Bought A Zoo. I think that sums up the movie pretty well.

This is the non-offensive story of a family who has lost their matriarch. Everyone is set a drift and looking for something to bring them together. That something is a property that houses a zoo. Adorableness and slight hilarity ensue.

For the second time in 2011, Matt Damon (Contagion) gets to stretch his "dad" acting muscles. I can see why he would want to do so. Working with the once great Cameron Crowe, who's been lying low since Elizabethtown.

The main problem is there aren't any real stakes. If they don't get the zoo going, the family can walk away. Sure they'll have some money issues, but nothing that every American isn't facing with the housing decline. Even the bad guy inspector is basically a non-issue. The movie is cutesy pretending to be heart. It reminds me of Jerry Maguire, which I also felt rang false.

Did you enjoy it?
Sure.

Would you see it in theaters again?
No.

Would you buy it?
No.

TV or Streaming?
Eh.

Would your parents like it?
Yes.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol



Time heals all wounds. As time has passed Tom Cruise's "nutty" period has become a faint memory. Or as Mrs.Nugget asked "What did he do again? Jumped on Oprah's couch and yelled at someone about medicine?" The same is true for the M:I series. What started strong in 1996 has had diminishing returns in two sequels (in 2000 and 2006). But there seems to be a reason Tom keeps having these movies made. Watching Brad Bird (The Incredibles; Ratatouille) using IMAX cameras similarly to how Christopher Nolan used them in The Dark Knight, should get anyone excited no matter how they feel about Tom Cruise the person.

The fourth film in the series, they keep things going at a brisk pace while still allowing some moments for genuine character arcs. The stunts are fantastic. This helps counter balance some middling CGI (Kremlin destruction and sandstorm). Unlike the previous movies, they do recognize the previous sequel this time, if only giving it a bookend lip service.

My only real complaint is leaving Ving Rhames behind. I understand wanting to freshen things up, but the one thing I always liked from the movies was their trust and friendship. Ah well. And you could do worse than adding more screen time for Simon Pegg. He gets a lot more to do this film than the last.

Did you enjoy it?
Yes.

Would you see it in theaters again?
IMAX maybe, who wants to take me?

Would you buy it?
Eh

Would you rent it?
Ehhhhh

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