Review: Watchmen

“Justice is coming to all of us. No matter what we do.”

We saw Watchmen last night and it was every bit as good as we’d hoped. I started reading the graphic novel, but didn’t get that far, so I can’t give much of a comparison [I'll update when I do get through it if anyone cares...]. For what I did read, the movie followed it pretty closely. Now I’m excited to read the rest to see what they left out and how they actually ended it in the book since I read they went with an alternate ending to cut the runtime down. It’s rumoured that the special edition DVD will be closer to 4 hours long. 

Watchmen is about an alternate 1985 where Nixon is still President, it’s the height of the Cold War, and costumed super-heroes are a thing of the past. When one of them, The Comedian [Jeffrey Dean Morgan] is murdered, fellow costumed vigilante, Rorschach [Jackie Earle Haley], is set on finding out why – and whether the rest of their retired fraternity has anything to worry about. It’s Rorschach’s investigation that leads to a much larger plan. Good or bad, you decide. 

What I loved about this movie were the characters, as well as the parallels to what we’re going through right now with the economy and things heating up with Iran and possibly our old foe, Russia. The darkness of the story actually felt close to home, and my husband and I walked out in deep thought. We both enjoyed it, but it prompted a lot of discussion about what’s going on with us now, both as a nation and globally. 

My favorite character by far was Rorschack, played perfectly by Jackie Earle Haley, with his ever-changing, ink-blot ‘face’, his uncompromising way of life and his brutal efficiency. It took some getting used to Dr. Manhattan [played by Billy Crudup... Warning - he does walk around nude most of the movie so if you're squeemish about radioactive blue full-frontal male nudity, you might think twice about seeing it... I got used to it fairly quickly... kind of like taking life-drawing class. You giggle for a sec and then get down to business and forget you're looking at a nude person... I didn't feel like it took away from anything... it made sense in the context of the movie. I don't get what the problem is with nudity in this country anyway... but that's another discussion].  ;) 

Watchmen is a great story with plenty of stylized visuals, ala Zack Snyder, the man who directed 300, and plenty of fight scenes, action and effects. The characters were well played with a great ensemble cast, and so was the period – the early to mid 80s – between hair, makeup and costumes [superhero and otherwise...]. Everything was over the top back then, and this WAS a graphic novel, and it felt it – in a good way. It’s LONG… so go prepared if you’re seeing it in the theater, clocking in at almost 3 hours. It kept my attention the whole time so it didn’t feel Lord of the Rings III long or anything. lol

4 out of 5

Add’l Info: Released: Mar 6, 2009 • Runtime: 163 mins • Rated R for strong graphic violence, sexuality, nudity and language • Photo credit: © Warner Bros. Pictures via allmoviephotos.com

Review: Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is an origins story of Lucian and the Lycans – Werewolves that can control ‘the change’ and aren’t cursed to live out their lives solely in werewolf form. Instead, they are cursed to serve their vampire masters as daytime guards and workers. The original Underworld is up there for me for favorite vampire movie, so I was pretty excited to see this one. I have to say, it was good, but not great. Everyone did a fine job – especially Michael Sheen as Lucian, Rhona Mitra as Sonya and Bill Nighy as Viktor. This movie was definitley more story-driven than the other movies in the franchise… I felt like I had already seen it to some extent between the flashbacks in the first Underworld, and the trailer. I suppose I was expecting a little more, but I honestly don’t know what they could have done differently.

Because it takes place almost 1,000 years ago, it’s a pretty dark movie in that there’s no electricity to light the characters up. There were times when it was tough to see what was going on… There also weren’t the more exciting weapons like guns, and no cars for great car chases… just swords and arrows – which are great, but when the film is so dark, it loses some of the drama in the fight scenes. I do enjoy all the battle armor and fighting on horseback, and wish they had more of that. I guess I just expected it to be a bit more ‘epic’… I also felt like the visual effects were really good in some scenes and a little distracting in others. The one thing they got right were the crazy light blue contact lenses for the vampire eyes. They were hypnotic. lol… [exhibit 'A', photo above...lol].

I did enjoy seeing the origin of other regular characters in the franchise. This is a classic case of me probably liking this movie more each time I watch it, after knowing what to expect. I went in expecting a little too much. In the end, this was a pretty decent movie – a sort of typical ‘Romeo & Juliet’ type romance… with monsters… and Underworld fans will like it, but it isn’t realy on par with the original. And what’s funny is, I can’t figure out if this is a better movie to see first out of the Underworld series, or if seeing Underworld first really is the way to go… if you have an opinion for those who haven’t seen it, let me know! You can read my review for the first Underworld HERE.

3 out of 5.

One thing to note – they ended it hinting at another movie to detail the origins of other characters, which I think would be pretty cool… we shall see.

Add’l Info: Released: Jan 23, 2009 • Runtime: 92 minutes • Rated R for bloody violence and some sexuality • Photo credit: © Screen Gems Entertainment, via allmoviephoto.net.

Review: Twilight

“When you can live forever what do you live for?”

I’m late in getting to this review – partly because I wasn’t excited to see it in the first place. We saw Twilight while on vacation a few weeks ago, when there wasn’t anything else worthwhile to see. We were pleasantly surprised that it was pretty entertaining, but teenage vampires really don’t do it for me. I prefer adult vampires who can have great vampire sex and not just LONG for it. lol… that being said, Rob Pattinson did a great job displaying the yearning and intensity that any male vampire seems to feel when they fall for a human woman [or in this case, kid] and needs to protect her, not only from himself, but from his friends… and enemies. 

When we saw this, it was in a tiny theater in the back of a 14-theater megaplex, and it was my husband and I, 2 dozen teenage girls and a strange row of teenage boys down front. Every time Rob Pattinson had a closeup and said one of his intensley conflicted romantic lines, inevitably, one or two of the girls around us would pine, “he’s sooo coool!” or “he’s sooo awwwwesommmmeee!” Needless to say, we felt really REALLY old. lol… 

This was decent entertainment and because I’m a big vampire fan I enjoyed it, but I also had a HUGE beef with the movie [and I suppose the book series, that I have NOT read]… there are certain rules that must be followed to qualify a person as a vampire and this series breaks 2 of them, that in my opinion aren’t breakable. So I did leave somewhat annoyed. But also infatuated with Rob Pattinson and his magical hair, making me feel kind of pervy because he’s so much younger than I am [how did that happen???] lol… 

Anyway… sorry, this review is terrible, I know… back to business: The visuals were decent, the story and action wasn’t bad, the acting for the most part was pretty good. The lead girl Kristen Stewart who played ‘Bella Swan’ was a better fit than I initially expected, but her acting style got old pretty fast for me – like she went to the ‘party of five’ school of acting with the confused stuttering while looking hurt thing. Pattinson, who played Edward Cullen did a great job and he’s probably the only reason I’d see the sequel, if and when it comes out. [seems like a done deal, though...].

As an adult fan of vampire flicks I’d say Twilight is just a 2 1/2 out of 5.

Worth a rent if you love vampires – especially if you read ‘paranormal romance’ novels… If you don’t fall into either category, or if you’re older than 18, I’d say skip it. 

Add’l Info: Release Date: Nov 21, 2008 • Runtime: 122 minutes • Rated PG-13 for some violence and a scene of sensuality • Photo credit: © Summit Entertainment, via movieweb.com

Preview: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

We saw the trailer for this one back in December… X-Men Origins: Wolverine is as the title states – a look into the origin of our beloved hairy mutant with the killer claws. From the trailer, it looks to deliver everything we expect out of a comic book based origins/action flick: drama, pain, metamorphosis, revenge and a new reason for being, along with kickass action and effects, no doubt. lol… 

Due out May 1st, it looks to kick off the summer blockbuster season with a bang! Can’t wait to see it. Starring along with Hugh Jackman are a bevy of great actors like Liev Schreiber as Sabertooth, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, Dominic Monaghan as Beak, Lynn Collins as Silver Fox, Taylor Kitsch as Gambit and Kevin Durand as The Blob, just to name a few… Directed by Gavin Hood who won critical acclaim for directing Rendition…

Check out the trailer here if you haven’t already seen it: Marvel.com

If you don’t blink you’ll see a young Storm, and I’ve read there’s a young Cyclops as well, although I didn’t see him [or didn't recognize him] in the trailer… 

Add’l Info: Release Date: May 1, 2009 • Runtime & Rating: TBD • Photo Credit: Still taken from official movie trailer ™ and © Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved,

Review: The Spirit

“My City Screams. She is My Lover…  And I am Her Spirit.”

I was excited to see The Spirit because I’m a big Frank Miller fan. I love his visual and story-telling style. It’s not for everyone, as was evidenced by the fact that a few people left the theater halfway through watching it the day we went to see it. The movie didn’t give away all it’s cards right away, so if you have the attention span of a gnat, you won’t understand it and it can get understandably frustrating. I didn’t have any problem going with the flow and enjoying it as it unfolded. It was definitely more ‘campy’ than serious, which made it that much more fun. Based on the graphic novel series by Will Eisner, the little quirks of each character in The Spirit were so fun and charming to me, but I’m sure could be lost on others, which is why it’s not surprising that it didn’t do well at the box office. From what I’ve read, people either love it or hate it. Fans of the graphic novels seem to think it was a very close representation of the original [which I haven't read]. 

The Spirit is about rookie cop Denny Colt [Gabriel Macht], who comes back from the dead as the protector of ‘Central City.’ As the tagline states, ’she’ is everything to him, as is every lady he comes in contact with… the list is long and includes such beauties as the money-loving thief ‘Sand Serif’ [Eva Mendes], the spirit of Death, ‘Lorelei Rox’ [Jaime King], The Spirit’s former wife Dr. Ellen Dolan [Sarah Paulson], the evil scientist and sidekick to Sam Jackson’s ‘The Octopus’… ‘Silken Floss’ [Scarlett Johansson] and the deadly belly dancing beauty, ‘Plaster of Paris’ [Paz Vega], among others. 

The Spirit has a bargain with the local police – he helps them keep the crime under control while keeping a low profile, and they let him continue to do the job he lives for… keeping his city safe. Along the way he crosses paths with his nemesis ‘The Octopus’, his old flame Sand, and a mystery that needs solving… oh, and also gets the answer to the biggest question of all: how is he still alive… again? 

Being a designer, I LOVE the idea of having a color palette for a movie. For this one it was simple: Black & White & Red… it doesn’t get any more classic than that. The Spirit really felt like we were watching a graphic novel. To that end it was perfectly executed. Great period and theme costumes, clean, graphic effects and a long list of great actors and performances. Pure, fantastic fun, and as usual… visually stunning. 

4 out of 5

Add’l Info: Released: Dec 25, 2008 • Runtime: 108 minutes • Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of stylized violence and action, some sexual content and brief nudity • Photo Credit: Copyright © Lionsgate via allmoviephoto.com

Review: Bolt [3D]

“A Hero Is Unleased.”

Due to a massive cold, the holidays and vacation I’ve fallen behind with reviews. Luckily today is a slow work day so I can finally catch up! 

We went to see Bolt when we got to the theater too late to see The Spirit originally… but I’m happy. Bolt in 3D was a lot of fun! It had been in the theaters for a while at that point and there were other kiddie movies out so it was relatively quiet, which was nice. 

Bolt [voiced by John Travolta] is the story of a pooch that thinks he’s a super hero because he has no idea that all his “powers” are carefully orchestrated special effects for a hit TV show, of which he is the star. Ratings start to slide because the audience knows the Bolt formula of him always saving his ‘person,’ Penny [voiced by Miley Cyrus] at the end of every episode, so the studio demands they change things up. The Director doesn’t like it ubt complies [voiced by James Lipton] and give the audience a cliffhanger ending for the season finale by having Penny be captured by the ‘evil Dr. Calico’… [voiced in classic villain style by Malcolm McDowell].

Being that Bolt lives in a Truman Show type world, he has no idea that Penny is safe and sound at home with her Mom, and escapes from his trailer to save her in what ends up being a crazy, cross-country adventure full of danger and furry sidekicks… including an ‘evil’ cat named ‘Mittens’ [voiced by Susie Essman] and a fiesty little hamster/superfan named ‘Rhino.’

The best part of this movie for me was Rhino the hamster [voiced by Mark Walton]. He was hilarious! Some of the lines had me in stitches. In classic Disney style, there were the sad moments and the lessons to be learned, but they weren’t dragged out too long… 

As for the animation and the 3D effects, they were top-notch. I actually didn’t know it was 3D until the ticket girl handed us the glasses. Then I got annoyed because the thought of wearing those heavy, cheap glasses for 103 minutes wasn’t appealing, but they were surprisingly comfortable [not like the old IMAX 3d glasses] and once I got used to the whole 3D thing, I LOVED it. I’m actually looking forward to seeing live-action movies in 3D to see how they do with that. 

For the fun, humor, effects and overall experience, Bolt is a solid…

3 1/2 out of 5

[as an adult... I'm sure it's even higher for kids!]

Add’l Info: Released: Nov 21, 2008 • Runtime: 103 minutes • Rated PG for some mild action and peril • Photo credit: Copyright © Walt Disney Pictures via allmoviephoto.com

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

  Brendan Fraser & Jet Li in “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”

In The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, we come to find Rick and Evie retired in 1946, just after WWII, trying to fill their time outside of their huge English estate. Evie writes about their adventures using a pen name and does talks and readings, reliving the past, while Rick tries to find a hobby, both denying how much they miss the action. Alex O’Connell [Luke Ford] is all grown up and is working on a dig in China with one of his professors, even though he’d been kicked out of University several times [he is, after all, his father's son...]. He uncovers the Tomb of the Dragon Emperor [Jet Li] and brings the sarcophagus to Shanghai, where his mother [Bello] and father [Fraser] happen to fly in on a quick favour for the British government [agreed to out of desperation for some action], and his Uncle Jonathan [John Hannah] happens to own a nightclub – Egyptian-themed, of course…

They all get tangled up with bad guys, led by General Yang [Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, who did a great job with the character] and his army, who were behind the financing of the dig, with the goal of raising the Emperor and his army to restore order and greatness to their beloved China. They also encounter the guardians of the tomb, a young ninja-like warrior [Isabella Leong], as well as an ancient sorcerer [Michelle Yeoh], both of whom have sworn to never let the Emperor be brought back to life, much like the Magi of the first two movies… 

Opening This Week… 8.1.08

  

Jet Li in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

New for this week are a few movies, but there’s only one I think we’re even considering seeing… We’ll probably go for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor so check in this weekend if you need a second opinion before you decide to see it or not. We’ll probably go on Friday night. You can check out more info and the trailer HERE

Photo credit: ©Universal Pictures, via allmoviephoto.com

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Also opening this Friday: 

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Swing Vote 
“One ordinary guy is giving the candidates a reason to run.

Starring Kevin Costner, and a ton of other great actors like Stanley Tucci, Nathan Lane, Dennis Hopper, Kelsey Grammar & more… You can view the trailer here: Swing Vote Official Site

Add’l Info: Runtime: 100 minutes • Rated PG-13 for language

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The Midnight Meat Train
“The most terrifying ride you’ll ever take.”

 A New York photographer goes after a serial killer… I can’t say the name of this one without laughing. I’m sure my hubby will rent it when it’s on DVD, but I don’t think we’ll be paying money to see it in the theater… You can check it out for yourself HERE if you love horror movies and think this might be up your alley… Based on the short story by Clive Barker and starring Brook Shields, Bradley Cooper, Vinnie Jones, Leslie Bibb…

Add’l Info: Runtime: 100 minutes • Rated R for sequences of strong bloody gruesome violence, grisly images involving nudity, sexual content and language]

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In Search of a Midnight Kiss
“It’s not just another kiss.” 

This romantic comedy sounds like fun… about a guy who’s friend convinces him to place a personal ad after a particularly tough year… where he meets a woman who is bent on finding someone to be with at midnight on New Year’s Eve. You can check out the official site with trailer HERE

Add’l Info: Runtime: 90 minutes • Untrated • Grand Jury Award for Best Film, 2008 Florida Film Festival

This Week’s Previews [7.20.08]

When we saw The Dark Knight on Friday there were three new trailers that caught my attention: Watchmen, The Day The Earth Stood Still, and Terminator Salvation. Here’s the scoop on these three flicks…

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Watchmen

Based on what the trailer says is the ‘most celebrated graphic novel of all time’ by Alan Moore, Watchmen is the story of an alternate 1985 in America where the cold war with the Russians is at it’s height and the age of costumed superheroes is over. It’s now against the law to play dressup and save the world… until one day when one of them is murdered. It’s up to former vigilante, Rorschach, and the retired superheroes to figure out why. Directed by Zach Snyder, the man behind the movie 300, Watchmen looks gritty and surreal and just as visually stunning. I can’t wait to see it. Cynical superheroes rock. ;) Check out the trailer here: Watchmen Trailers and visit the official site here: Watchmen Official Site

Update 7-30-08: I am so obsessed with the Smashing Pumpkins song they used for the Watchmen trailer [The Beginning is the End is the Beginning], to the point where I’ve been listening to it looped for DAYS [I'm weird like that]. Turns out, it was originally written for Batman and Robin back in ‘97. We happen to own that soundtrack, but at the time it didn’t do anything for me. I think with the visuals and pacing of the Watchmen trailer it hooked me this time around, and because of it, I can’t wait for this movie to come out. 

Add’l Info: Release Date: Mar 6, 2009 • Runtime & Rating TBD • Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. [still from HD movie trailer]

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The Day The Earth Stood Still

This one is obviously a remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic – which I don’t remember seeing. Which is to say I may have very well seen it when I was much younger but if I only saw it once and it was more than 5 years ago, I probably don’t remember it. lol… anyway… the updated version starts Keanu Reeves as Klaatu, an alien visitor who brings along his giant robot to our beloved planet. But are they friends or foes? Also stars Jennifer Connelly, John Cleese, Kathy Bates, and Jaden Smith. From the preview I’m excited to see it. Check out the trailer here: The Day The Earth Stood Still Official Site

Add’l Info: Release Date: Dec 12, 2008 • Runtime and Rating: TBD • Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox [still taken from movie trailer]

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Terminator Salvation

I’m a huge Terminator fan – I love the concept, love the creepy, evil robots, the drama and horror of it, etc., so I’m very excited to see what they’ve come up with for this latest Terminator installment. If Batman Begins is any indication, this movie is going to be incredible as Christian Bale is quickly turning into the ‘resurrector of tired franchises.’ From the trailer it looks like he and director McG have injected some much-needed edgy realism and credibility back into Terminator. We’ve been watching the TV show and it, too, has gone in that direction – more serious, great plot lines, cool effects and very dark in look and feel. This one takes place in the future, after ‘judgement day’ when John Connor is all grown up and is struggling to keep Skynet and the robots from wiping out humanity completely. Is he really the hero his mother’s been bragging about for the last 20 years? Or just a regular guy in a crappy situation trying to stay alive? We’ll have to watch it to find out. Check out the trailer here: Terminator Salvation Offical Site

Add’l Info: Release Date: May 22, 2009 • Runtime & Rating: TBD • Photo courtesty of Warner Bros. [Still taken from HD trailer - it's an image that is flashed so quickly you almost can't see it. When I found it and enhanced it, I got giddy... I love evil robots...]

This Week’s Previews [7.13.08]

This weeks previews were all over the place in terms of genre and release dates. I’m going to put them all in one post vs. devoting separate posts to each… Here’s a quick summary of each with the current release date [we all know they change them at will, so these could be wrong next week for all I know...].

Jump to read about College, Clone Wars, Quarantine, The next Mummy and Death Race…