2008 Movie #58 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
I'm still not sure what I think about that title to be completely honest. Well anyway it's almost hard to believe but just last night I actually watched a new Indiana Jones movie in theatres, a day that I never thought would come. I had hyped this movie up to ridiculous amounts in the past few months and it was definitely the one movie this summer I was looking forward to the most. It had some pretty high expectations to meet and while it did meet some of them, in the end I sadly have to say that I left the theatre feeling a little disappointed.
I should probably wait a few more hours before even typing up this review because I still haven't even quite pinpointed what it was about the movie that bothered me. It does have the same feel as the other Indy movies but at the same time something seems to be missing. The old Indy charm just doesn't seem to be as on full display here.
The story was definitely one of the larger problems I had. In the past Indy went searching for a specific item and there was always a sense of urgency around him finding it. In this one, the item is kind of thrust upon him and at the same time this takes away a lot of that same urgency. Nobody ever seems to be in legitimate danger in this one, and if they are they can do some borderline superhero things to get out of it.
Which brings me to my second point, the movie is just way too over the top. I mean it's fine for an adventure movie to be silly and god knows the other Indiana Jones movies have certainly never been grounded in reality, but this one just takes it a little too far. Scenes involving a refrigerator, some vine swinging monkeys, a series of waterfalls, a car in a tree, cartoonish prarie dogs and the finale itself actually are all ridiculous to the point where it almost takes you out of the movie a little. It's fine to be over the top of course (Shoot 'Em Up being a great example of that) but you have to find a good balance and I felt that this movie took things too far over the ridiculous line. This I think is going to be most highly debated aspect of this movie amonst fans.
Also, Indiana as well as the others take some epic beatings that would kill just about any normal human being. However they always come out of things smiling and without a single scratch or wound on them. The fact that nobody reacts to any of the things that happen to them again really takes the feeling of risk and danger out of the movie. I mean you obviously know the heroes aren't going to die but the other movies had moments where things really looked bad for them and the characters were generally concerned. This movie never has those moments and it kind of hurts the movie at times.
There are of course some good sides to the movie. Harrison Ford is back in full force as Indiana Jones which is great to see. Shia does fine in the role, with his character having a few of the more ridiculous moments (aka monkeys) in the movie. It's also awesome to see Karen Allen back as Marion but they gave her almost nothing to do in this movie. If you're going to bring back such an iconic character in the series after this long at least give her a prominent role. She just feels so underused here. Their relationship was always interesting but here it seems they're falling for each other purely because they're there.
As ridiculous as the action scenes are, they're still for the most part entertaining. There's a sequence involving ants that I was actually pretty into. As I said I don't expect the movie to be realistic in any way but there's just a few too many "ok really?" moments. Man, this is the first review where I feel I actually have to defend my opinion.
It sounds like I flatout disliked the movie, which is certainly not the case.The whole thing is entertaining enough, but it just can't shake a feeling of being a little unneeded. We've been waiting 19 years for a new Indiana Jones movie so when one finally arrives you expect it to be amazing. This one just doesn't quite do it. I guess I'm just a victim of my own hype sadly.
This may be the first time I have to review a movie on here twice because I know I'm going to see it again but this time knowing I wasn't a huge fan of it. Maybe that way I can see it in a new light and come out a lot happier. This could be the most painful score I've ever had to give a movie on here...
***/5
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Shawn's Made of Honor Review
2008 Movie # 57 - Made of Honor
During my crusade to see every movie of this year, many people mock me for the movies that down the road I'm going to have to watch. This movie was right near the top of that mocking list. I figured I better get it out of the way now before I start watching all the huge Summer blockbusters like Indiana Jones. At least this movie may have a fighting chance before I have to measure it against all those movies.
Sadly this could have probably been the first movie I saw this year and it still wouldn't have a fighting chance. This is one of several 2008 movies whose existence just confuses me. There is literally absolutely no reason why this movie should exist. Granted that argument can be made about many movies out there but at least most of them have some sort of entertainment value. This one has nothing. It calls itself a romantic comedy but there is nothing comedic and hardly anything romantic about it.
A few months back another Grey's Anatomy star had a wedding movie with 27 Dresses. It too was a fairly standard run of the mill romantic comedy, but it still had a quality about it that made it stand at least a little bit above the others in this genre. A lot of this was due to the cast taking subpar material and elevating it to a point in quality it really had no right to even be at.
Made of Honor doesn't have that cast to fall back it. The subpar material just gets to sit there and be worse and worse. Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan do alright in their roles, but the entire parade of characters just don't even feel like actual human beings. There's something strangely polarizing about this movie. Nothing about any of the characters, their actions or their situations feel at any way real.
That being said the movie is also painfully unfunny. It tries so hard sometimes to be wacky and over the top and it fails over and over again to the point where you almost start to feel bad for it. You want to give it that "at least it's trying" credit but you know what, I'm not even entirely convinced that it is trying. It doesn't look like a single bit of effort went into this thing.
DONE!
.5 / 5
During my crusade to see every movie of this year, many people mock me for the movies that down the road I'm going to have to watch. This movie was right near the top of that mocking list. I figured I better get it out of the way now before I start watching all the huge Summer blockbusters like Indiana Jones. At least this movie may have a fighting chance before I have to measure it against all those movies.
Sadly this could have probably been the first movie I saw this year and it still wouldn't have a fighting chance. This is one of several 2008 movies whose existence just confuses me. There is literally absolutely no reason why this movie should exist. Granted that argument can be made about many movies out there but at least most of them have some sort of entertainment value. This one has nothing. It calls itself a romantic comedy but there is nothing comedic and hardly anything romantic about it.
A few months back another Grey's Anatomy star had a wedding movie with 27 Dresses. It too was a fairly standard run of the mill romantic comedy, but it still had a quality about it that made it stand at least a little bit above the others in this genre. A lot of this was due to the cast taking subpar material and elevating it to a point in quality it really had no right to even be at.
Made of Honor doesn't have that cast to fall back it. The subpar material just gets to sit there and be worse and worse. Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan do alright in their roles, but the entire parade of characters just don't even feel like actual human beings. There's something strangely polarizing about this movie. Nothing about any of the characters, their actions or their situations feel at any way real.
That being said the movie is also painfully unfunny. It tries so hard sometimes to be wacky and over the top and it fails over and over again to the point where you almost start to feel bad for it. You want to give it that "at least it's trying" credit but you know what, I'm not even entirely convinced that it is trying. It doesn't look like a single bit of effort went into this thing.
DONE!
.5 / 5
Shawn's Prince Caspian Review
2008 Movie # 56- Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
This was one of the few movies opening this summer that I really didn't have that much interest in. I wasn't a huge fan of the first Narnia movie. I thought it was overall a very average fantasy movie that was instantly forgettable and just didn't do anything for me. Then again I have never read the Narnia books either so I have no attachment to the story. So I really wasn't all that excited for the second one. Thankfully this one is a HUGE improvement over the first movie to the point where it hardly even feels like the same series of movies.
The biggest difference between the Narnia movies seems to be the almost jarring shift in tone. The first movie is overall fairly light heartened with a few somewhat dark moments scattered here and there. The second one however, has a much darker feel to it and takes on much heavier subject matter. One thing I've always admired about the Harry Potter books/movies is that they aren't afraid to give little kids credit. They contain dark/scary moments, heavy subject matter and overall rarely pander to them, as way too many kids movies do these days. Prince Caspian follows in that same vein. It never crosses the line where it's too dark, just enough that kids can still enjoy it, as well as the adults.
There is also a shit load more action in this movie. Although it does take some time to get going, once it does it's pretty worth the wait. The final part of the movie consists of almost one long battle and it's pretty god damn epic. Even the trees get in on this shit. There's some pretty fantastic action in the last part of this movie, and for the most part everything leading up to it is still interesting although there are definitely some slower parts here and there.
The acting is overall good, although nothing really amazing. Ben Barnes does well in the role of Prince Caspian but I was reminded a little too much of Inigo Montoya at times. The four kids (although it doesn't seem right calling them kids now) do fine, with a few questionable moments here and there. Warwick Davis of course shows up here. If your movie has a midget in it, guaranteed Warwick Davis is playing him.
One slight I would have to give against this movie would be the occasional attempts at humour. I understand they are needed to counter the very dark feel the movie has throughout almost it's entire running time, but they jokes come off as very corny and the actors don't do a good job at selling them either. Maybe it was just me but anytime one of these "jokes" would show up it kind of took me out of the movie.
The other slight I would give is something I have sort of touched upon already and that is the length of the movie, which is just under 2 and a half hours. It's not a huge deal (it's actually shorter than the Sex and the City movie...pretty unfuckingbelievable huh?) as it never really gets boring, but it could use a bit of time trimmed out of it I would say. However this was not enough to ruin the movie for me.
Fans of the first Narnia should definitely enjoy this one as well, and those who didn't enjoy the first one such as myself should still give it a try. It's a huge improvement over the first movie and it actually makes me interested to see where the series will go from here.
For now though, Iron Man is still the Summer movie to beat.
****/5
This was one of the few movies opening this summer that I really didn't have that much interest in. I wasn't a huge fan of the first Narnia movie. I thought it was overall a very average fantasy movie that was instantly forgettable and just didn't do anything for me. Then again I have never read the Narnia books either so I have no attachment to the story. So I really wasn't all that excited for the second one. Thankfully this one is a HUGE improvement over the first movie to the point where it hardly even feels like the same series of movies.
The biggest difference between the Narnia movies seems to be the almost jarring shift in tone. The first movie is overall fairly light heartened with a few somewhat dark moments scattered here and there. The second one however, has a much darker feel to it and takes on much heavier subject matter. One thing I've always admired about the Harry Potter books/movies is that they aren't afraid to give little kids credit. They contain dark/scary moments, heavy subject matter and overall rarely pander to them, as way too many kids movies do these days. Prince Caspian follows in that same vein. It never crosses the line where it's too dark, just enough that kids can still enjoy it, as well as the adults.
There is also a shit load more action in this movie. Although it does take some time to get going, once it does it's pretty worth the wait. The final part of the movie consists of almost one long battle and it's pretty god damn epic. Even the trees get in on this shit. There's some pretty fantastic action in the last part of this movie, and for the most part everything leading up to it is still interesting although there are definitely some slower parts here and there.
The acting is overall good, although nothing really amazing. Ben Barnes does well in the role of Prince Caspian but I was reminded a little too much of Inigo Montoya at times. The four kids (although it doesn't seem right calling them kids now) do fine, with a few questionable moments here and there. Warwick Davis of course shows up here. If your movie has a midget in it, guaranteed Warwick Davis is playing him.
One slight I would have to give against this movie would be the occasional attempts at humour. I understand they are needed to counter the very dark feel the movie has throughout almost it's entire running time, but they jokes come off as very corny and the actors don't do a good job at selling them either. Maybe it was just me but anytime one of these "jokes" would show up it kind of took me out of the movie.
The other slight I would give is something I have sort of touched upon already and that is the length of the movie, which is just under 2 and a half hours. It's not a huge deal (it's actually shorter than the Sex and the City movie...pretty unfuckingbelievable huh?) as it never really gets boring, but it could use a bit of time trimmed out of it I would say. However this was not enough to ruin the movie for me.
Fans of the first Narnia should definitely enjoy this one as well, and those who didn't enjoy the first one such as myself should still give it a try. It's a huge improvement over the first movie and it actually makes me interested to see where the series will go from here.
For now though, Iron Man is still the Summer movie to beat.
****/5
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Shawn's Baby Mama Review
2008 Movie #55 - Baby Mama
Tina Fey is awesome and I will pretty much watch anything she is a part of. The previews for this movie didn't do anything for me so I wasn't expecting a whole lot from it. In the end it was better than I expected, but still not the funniest movie you could go out there and watch at the moment.
The main reason the movie works as well as it does is because of it's cast. The script itself isn't great but the cast does their best and makes the movie much funnier than it may have been otherwise. The highlights are of course Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as the two lead characters. They were great together on Saturday Night Live and they are great together in this movie as well. The supporting cast is good as well, with Romany Malco, Dax Shepard and especially Steve Martin (who I had forgotten was even in this movie) are all funny in supporting roles. The one character I didn't find funny was Sigourney Weaver's, who essentially exists to tell the same joke over and over again.
Unfortunatly this movie falls prey to something that many comedies do, and that's getting sentimental in the final stages. Many comedies try to go this route and most of the time it doesn't really work. It doesn't work too badly here, but it never stops feeling unneccessary.
Although the movie was never really fall down laugh out loud funny, at least for me, it was always just pleasant. It was a fun movie. It had some good laughs but I would still recommend Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Harold and Kumar in terms of what is the best comedy out there right now. Unless you really want to laugh your ass off, then you get some buddies together and watch the Prom Night remake. Now that shit is hilarious.
***/5
Tina Fey is awesome and I will pretty much watch anything she is a part of. The previews for this movie didn't do anything for me so I wasn't expecting a whole lot from it. In the end it was better than I expected, but still not the funniest movie you could go out there and watch at the moment.
The main reason the movie works as well as it does is because of it's cast. The script itself isn't great but the cast does their best and makes the movie much funnier than it may have been otherwise. The highlights are of course Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as the two lead characters. They were great together on Saturday Night Live and they are great together in this movie as well. The supporting cast is good as well, with Romany Malco, Dax Shepard and especially Steve Martin (who I had forgotten was even in this movie) are all funny in supporting roles. The one character I didn't find funny was Sigourney Weaver's, who essentially exists to tell the same joke over and over again.
Unfortunatly this movie falls prey to something that many comedies do, and that's getting sentimental in the final stages. Many comedies try to go this route and most of the time it doesn't really work. It doesn't work too badly here, but it never stops feeling unneccessary.
Although the movie was never really fall down laugh out loud funny, at least for me, it was always just pleasant. It was a fun movie. It had some good laughs but I would still recommend Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Harold and Kumar in terms of what is the best comedy out there right now. Unless you really want to laugh your ass off, then you get some buddies together and watch the Prom Night remake. Now that shit is hilarious.
***/5
Friday, May 2, 2008
Shawn's Iron Man Review
2008 Movie #54 - Iron Man
Well the Summer movie season is here and looking ahead, I am pretty damn excited about this one has in store for us. This one was right near the top of my most anticipated Summer movies and I was really hoping they weren't going to screw it up, like last year's Summer kick off, Spider-Man 3. Once the good reviews starting pouring in I got even more excited for this one. Last night my theatre held a private screening for the employees and some guests and it was finally time to watch me some Iron Man. Thankfully it wasn't all hype because I can safely say that Iron Man kicks all sorts of crazy ass.
I always thought Iron Man was one of the more underappreciated comic book heroes so it's nice to not only see a movie about him, but one that is right up there with the top comic book movies. I'm talking Batman Begins, X-2 territory here. The hardest comic movie to do is the origin story, but this one pulls it off amazingly well.
It's no secret that a lot of the success of the movie is based on the cast, especially Robert Downey Jr in the lead role of Tony Stark. The man fucking owns this role. He takes his role, bends it over and just goes nuts. It's absolutely perfect casting. The rest of the cast is also really good but it's Downey who is the real highlight.
The action sequences are not as plentiful as I was expecting, but the ones they did have existed to serve the great story so it's probably for the best they didn't just randomly throw in a bunch of action scenes just for the hell of it. When we do get some action though, it's fantastic. Its actually physically satisfying to watch Stark suit up for the first time and start kicking the shit out of people. I actually was giddy, and I don't remember the last time a movie made me feel like that.
I think that just about covers it. Great story, definitely one of the best origin stories to come out of the comic book movie world, great cast with Downey of course doing fantastic work, exciting action sequences that I think left me a little sexually aroused, and a good ending that gives us a hint of what is to come, especially if you stick around until after the end credits. This has to be one of the most significant after credit scenes in movie history. In conclusion, Iron Man is a fantastic way to kick off the summer and is now the blockbuster to beat.
**** 1/2 /5
Well the Summer movie season is here and looking ahead, I am pretty damn excited about this one has in store for us. This one was right near the top of my most anticipated Summer movies and I was really hoping they weren't going to screw it up, like last year's Summer kick off, Spider-Man 3. Once the good reviews starting pouring in I got even more excited for this one. Last night my theatre held a private screening for the employees and some guests and it was finally time to watch me some Iron Man. Thankfully it wasn't all hype because I can safely say that Iron Man kicks all sorts of crazy ass.
I always thought Iron Man was one of the more underappreciated comic book heroes so it's nice to not only see a movie about him, but one that is right up there with the top comic book movies. I'm talking Batman Begins, X-2 territory here. The hardest comic movie to do is the origin story, but this one pulls it off amazingly well.
It's no secret that a lot of the success of the movie is based on the cast, especially Robert Downey Jr in the lead role of Tony Stark. The man fucking owns this role. He takes his role, bends it over and just goes nuts. It's absolutely perfect casting. The rest of the cast is also really good but it's Downey who is the real highlight.
The action sequences are not as plentiful as I was expecting, but the ones they did have existed to serve the great story so it's probably for the best they didn't just randomly throw in a bunch of action scenes just for the hell of it. When we do get some action though, it's fantastic. Its actually physically satisfying to watch Stark suit up for the first time and start kicking the shit out of people. I actually was giddy, and I don't remember the last time a movie made me feel like that.
I think that just about covers it. Great story, definitely one of the best origin stories to come out of the comic book movie world, great cast with Downey of course doing fantastic work, exciting action sequences that I think left me a little sexually aroused, and a good ending that gives us a hint of what is to come, especially if you stick around until after the end credits. This has to be one of the most significant after credit scenes in movie history. In conclusion, Iron Man is a fantastic way to kick off the summer and is now the blockbuster to beat.
**** 1/2 /5
Shawn's Harold and Kumar Review
2008 Movie #53 - Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
So I already mentiobed before that the first Harold and Kumar is one of my favourite comedies and that I have seen it a ridiculous amount of times. Therefore I was both excited and scared about this four year later sequel. Thankfully in the end it didn't let me down. It's not as good as the first, but it retains the same charm and over the top situations the first one had and is still a really funny movie.
First off, not enough sequel start literally minutes after the first one ended. I can only think of a couple that have done that and I always enjoy when movies do that. It's a great way of seamlessly continuing the story and I look forward to watching both this movie and the first one back to back as if it was just one long awesome movie.
You know there really isn't much to say about this one, as I find with almost all of my comedy reviews. It's really funny, has all the dirty jokes you can imagine (I think it even tops the first one in this regard) and also has a pretty decent message in the end. The cast is top notch, with the highlight once again being Neil Patrick Harris as himself.
I don't think this one was as funny as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, so it's not the best comedy of the year, but it's certainly the second best. We'll see where Baby Mama places if I ever actually get around to watching it.
*** 1/2 /5
So I already mentiobed before that the first Harold and Kumar is one of my favourite comedies and that I have seen it a ridiculous amount of times. Therefore I was both excited and scared about this four year later sequel. Thankfully in the end it didn't let me down. It's not as good as the first, but it retains the same charm and over the top situations the first one had and is still a really funny movie.
First off, not enough sequel start literally minutes after the first one ended. I can only think of a couple that have done that and I always enjoy when movies do that. It's a great way of seamlessly continuing the story and I look forward to watching both this movie and the first one back to back as if it was just one long awesome movie.
You know there really isn't much to say about this one, as I find with almost all of my comedy reviews. It's really funny, has all the dirty jokes you can imagine (I think it even tops the first one in this regard) and also has a pretty decent message in the end. The cast is top notch, with the highlight once again being Neil Patrick Harris as himself.
I don't think this one was as funny as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, so it's not the best comedy of the year, but it's certainly the second best. We'll see where Baby Mama places if I ever actually get around to watching it.
*** 1/2 /5
Shawn's Street Kings Review
2008 Movie #52- Street Kings
God damn it I suck at keeping up with these things. Everytime it looks like I'm going to get back on track and really get going on this thing once again, I fuck it up and end up going weeks without writing any of the reviews, or even watching any of the movies. I still have movies to watch in damn February. Anyway...
I watched Street Kings almost two weeks ago now. I had heard beforehand that it was a movie that was so ridiculous that it was pretty entertaining. So I went in thinking that was going to be the fucking goofiest movie ever. Unfortunatly that's not really what I got. Instead I got a movie that has been done literally hundreds of times before. It's been done better than this, it's been done worse than this. Street Kings is somewhere in the middle where it's watchable, but forgetable.
The plot is the exact same usual routine of dirty cops and what not. There's really nothing at all new here in the story department. It's done pretty well though, with some decent action moments and a lot of tough guy shouting matches. I'd read someone compare this movie to a two hour pissing contest and they certainly aren't wrong about that.
The acting is meh. It's cool to see House in a movie, though he doesnt' stray too far from his usual persona. Keanu Reeves has to be the most baffling actor on earth. Usually when he succeeds in a movie it's because the role perfectly fits him. Movies like The Matrix, Speed, Constantine, really don't ask that much from him and his "talents" fit the roles well. However if you watch the Devil's Advocate it's the strangest thing because the man is really fucking good in that movie. I don't know what happened during the production of that movie but they got a really good performance out of the man. Sadly Street Kings is not one of Keanu's finest hours. Most of his lines come off as unintentionally hilarious, especially the first one he says in the movie, which reminded me of something you might hear Steven Seagal say.
I've already covered the movie's biggest problem, the whole been there and done that feeling that carries with it throught the entire thing. I was never bored during it, but it was never surprising and you always knew exactly how things were going to play out. It did entertain me though and it was a pretty decent way to kill a couple of hours at least, just don't expect much. You may also get some decent laughs out of it, although I'm sure that's not what the makers of the movie were intending.
** 1/2 /5
God damn it I suck at keeping up with these things. Everytime it looks like I'm going to get back on track and really get going on this thing once again, I fuck it up and end up going weeks without writing any of the reviews, or even watching any of the movies. I still have movies to watch in damn February. Anyway...
I watched Street Kings almost two weeks ago now. I had heard beforehand that it was a movie that was so ridiculous that it was pretty entertaining. So I went in thinking that was going to be the fucking goofiest movie ever. Unfortunatly that's not really what I got. Instead I got a movie that has been done literally hundreds of times before. It's been done better than this, it's been done worse than this. Street Kings is somewhere in the middle where it's watchable, but forgetable.
The plot is the exact same usual routine of dirty cops and what not. There's really nothing at all new here in the story department. It's done pretty well though, with some decent action moments and a lot of tough guy shouting matches. I'd read someone compare this movie to a two hour pissing contest and they certainly aren't wrong about that.
The acting is meh. It's cool to see House in a movie, though he doesnt' stray too far from his usual persona. Keanu Reeves has to be the most baffling actor on earth. Usually when he succeeds in a movie it's because the role perfectly fits him. Movies like The Matrix, Speed, Constantine, really don't ask that much from him and his "talents" fit the roles well. However if you watch the Devil's Advocate it's the strangest thing because the man is really fucking good in that movie. I don't know what happened during the production of that movie but they got a really good performance out of the man. Sadly Street Kings is not one of Keanu's finest hours. Most of his lines come off as unintentionally hilarious, especially the first one he says in the movie, which reminded me of something you might hear Steven Seagal say.
I've already covered the movie's biggest problem, the whole been there and done that feeling that carries with it throught the entire thing. I was never bored during it, but it was never surprising and you always knew exactly how things were going to play out. It did entertain me though and it was a pretty decent way to kill a couple of hours at least, just don't expect much. You may also get some decent laughs out of it, although I'm sure that's not what the makers of the movie were intending.
** 1/2 /5
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