| 1/03/2006 |
YOU OUGHTA BE IN PICTURES
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Ok. We've got a LOT of movies to review... So brace yourself.
There may be some slight spoilers here and there, but nothing to give away an ending.
Let's start off with the biggie.
FANTASTIC FOUR (B-) - I enjoyed this movie. As far as comic book movies go, this one was pretty decent. I've read enough F4 comics to know the overall idea of how they obtained their powers and who the main players and storylines are. I'll catch an old episode of the cartoon on Boomerang every so often.
This movie stayed pretty close to how things were already established. Cosmic storms... Restructured DNA... blah blah blah... All that scientific mumbo jumbo that gets tossed around to explain why things are they way they are. All fine.
The acting... Ok, it's a superhero movie. I get a kick out of actors playing the part of superheros when obviously they don't actually have powers. But they still have to act like they do. The Invisible Girl (Jessica Alba) toss up a force field to protect herself, after watching it I found myself randomly doing the same. In the same, comedic miming fashion. Take that, on coming traffic.
Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch (aka Chris Evans), is over the top as the hot-headed younger sibling of Sue Storm. It might get a bit grating at times, but that's the point. He is a young heart-throb who is supposed to be charismatic. Overacted? Meh... He got the job down and added a lot of humor to the movie.
Reed Richards, is played by Ioan Gruffudd, Mr Fantastic. Yet... in my opinion he is anything be fantastic. My impression of Mr F in the comics is this brainy, capable, take charge kind of guy who gets the job done. He's the leader. The way he is portrayed in the movie makes him seem more like the Absent Minded Professor who stumbles upon a solution. It isn't until the very end that he really seems to use his brain. I don't blame the actor. He was just doing the part.
The Thing, played by Michael Chiklis, was probably my favorite character in the film. He seemed to be the only one who showed any range of emotions as a character and as an actor. Ben Grimm really felt like an outcast because of his appearance. It wasn't until his new blind girlfriend showed him to see the inner beauty that he really felt comfortable in his rock hard skin.
Julian McMahon plays Victor Von Doom and he plays him pretty well. Once again, I don't blame the actor for a little mis direction as to how he comes to be "Doom", but he pulls it off well. The movie hints at VVD's vanity and not sublty shows his cravings for power. That comes off nicely. Julian is used to playing dark characters having done a stint on Charmed as a power-hungry demon.
I would've liked to have seen some of the special effects on the big screen. Definitely catch it on DVD. Buy it if you are so inclined. I probably well eventually.
NEXT...
Dirty Filthy Love (B+) is about poor Mark Furness who is losing his wife and his mind. Mark is obsessive-compulsive coupled with a pretty severe case of Tourette's. Tired of his psychologist who says he is just depressed, he runs into Charlotte who is a member of a support group for people with OCD and various other mental health problems.
Being a student of human nature and psychology I loved this movie. But you don't have to be to enjoy it. Mark is torn between getting his wife back and finding some sanity. Charlotte's falls for Mark, and tries to help him in a way that no psychologist has been able to yet.
Although, Mark's Tourette's is acted out overly severe, (he cusses a lot more than most with Tourette's would) the explanations and insight that is given into the mind of someone who has OCD is amazing. At one point in the movie he describes why he has to make multiple attempts before simply sitting down in a chair. It is very enlightening.
One of the writers drew from his own experiences as someone with OCD to write the movie. And it shows. There is a lot more detail to the characters than someone who is just writing about people with OCD and Tourette's.
Blade Trinity (B) Can you believe they keep making these? No seriously... The first one was good. The second one was good, but too heavy on the special effects. I think they might have made the third one just to show that they don't need special effects to make a really good movie. Another Comic-to-Movie offering, and I don't mind. I've never read the Blade series so I can't comment on how true to it's roots it actually is. The acting isn't anything crazy, but it's not supposed to be. It's a comic book movie. Take some bad-ass villains. Add a hero who is 'lost' and looking for his way. Toss in a babe and a wise-cracking comic relief. Cover it in black leather action and you've got yourself a no-brainer of a guy movie.
It's good stuff. It really is.
Blade meets up with Whistler's daughter (So where is Whistler's Mother? Ba-da bing!) and her crew to fight the Grandaddy of all vampires. He can walk in the sunlight. He can change his appearance. He seems a little pissed at the current day vampires for being such wusses.
Plus! A Vampire Pomeranian... Need I say more.
My main criticism? You'd think with special effects in this day and age that they could make a vampire fang prosthetic that didn't make the actor look like they've got a mouth full of cotton balls. Seriously... Can we do something about this?
Jessica Beil and Ryan Reynolds (Mr. Alanis Morissette) are pretty bad-ass in this film. I always worry about dramatic or comedic actors taking on their first action role, but they pulled it off very nicely. Reynolds put on a ton of muscle for the part and isn't afraid to show it. Beil wields a massive bow of undead smiting +2 and becomes the new nerd pin-up for a least a year.
Mambo Italiano (C+) It might as well be called Mama Mia. If only that title wasn't taken already. Overall plot? Take My Big Fat Greek Wedding and rub some Moonstruck on it. Make the oldest son gay. Then set it in Canada. Watch the wackiness unfold.
Angelo knows he is gay from a very young age. After reconnecting with a childhood friend, Nino, he makes a love connection and they decide to move in together. Let the man on man action begin! Oh wait. Angelo feels he HAS to come out to his parents and soon. Nino, the police officer, prefers the teeny tiny hat box in the back of the closet he's living in.
Nino has his reasons, and on one hand I can't blame him. But when Angelo does come out and sort of drags Nino with him. Nino goes running towards the nearest big-haired loud-mouthed Italian woman he can find. Enter Pina. And then he does 'enter' Pina, at a motel. Zing!
Welcome to Gay Canada. I'm sure there are tons of Mountie jokes that I'm just not willing to reach for at this juncture.
You probably have never heard of 75% of these actors. I recall being told (by Jay I think) that any movie or television show coming out of Canada has to use at least a certain percentage of Canada actors and crew in order to meet government guidelines. I dunno... Paul Sorvino is the closest thing to 'known' that you'll see in this movie. Which is fine. If he was any more Italian in this movie he's bleeds tomato sauce if you cut him.
So where was I? Nino is an ass and we hope he gets hit by a big-a-pizza-pie by the end of the film. Pina is just as much of a bitch and we hate her as well. Though, she does provide for some serious comic fodder during the film. The evolution of Angelo's relationship with his parents over the course of the film is pretty good. Very sweet. Angelo's sister, Anna is a riot. She goes through a lot of changes on her own during this film. It's all about growth. And doesn't that make you feel good?
It's painful to watch at times, but overall it's pretty entertaining. If you are into collecting every gay-themed movie out there, this is probably somewhere near the top of your list. |
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I posted this @ 1/03/2006 11:15:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
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