Hancock

Jul 22008

My first exposure to the idea of this movie, I thought, who cares, don’t wanna see it. Another freaking superhero movie, only this time it’s not based on anything famous and it stars Will Smith so they figure our love for him will save them from having to actually write a script (see: Men […]

Jun 272008

Wall-E
Matinee with Snacks
As always, Pixar preceded their feature with a short, called Presto. The rabbit who stars is an atypical sort of character design for Pixar, which made me nervous initially. Never fear! Presto plays with the laws of cartoon physics in another lovely, wordless short that is reminiscent of the madcap […]

Get Smart

Jun 202008

Oh thank heaven, Get Smart is funny. If you are a fan of the show, there are enough little winks, nudges, and appropriately contextualized catch phrases to please you – but the movie doesn’t rely on them to carry itself. If you’d never seen the show, nothing was needed to make this film […]

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

May 222008

Indiana Jones is the kind of beloved cinematic icon whose fourth movie, set age-appropriately years after his last films, could stain his charming persona forever. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull does veer dangerously away from its more archaeologically relevant predecessors, but it is still very much in the spirit of the original series. […]

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

May 152008

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Catch it on HBO
The short version:  Prince Caspian (the movie) is gorgeous and a total snore.  All the best effects houses worked on the computer and practical effects.  The locations are in the stunning environments of the Czech Republic, Poland, and New Zealand.  Every dollar of that budget is on that […]

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

May 42008

This was my third Universal Studios comedy in a short time, and I was starting to worry. I am so glad this one was last! Writer/star Jason Segel was lovable and full of heart on Freaks and Geeks, but is he funny? Yes! The premise is promising: Segel is dumped […]

Iron Man

May 22008

I’m not so much into the comic book movies.  Outside of Superman and Batman, my experience is limited and my interest less.  I have never seen or read any work based on Iron Man until this one, so I cannot speak to its fidelity to the canon.  I do see a crapload of movies, however, […]

Made of Honor

May 22008

On its surface, Made of Honor seems like a perfect little girlie diversion.  Platonic (rich handsome) guy friend realizes gal pal is the one, only on the eve of her impending nuptials.  It’s ground that was tread more successfully in 1997’s My Best Friend’s Wedding (one of the two screenwriters’ work apparently only sings when […]

Baby Mama

Apr 252008

I love Tina Fey. I loved the movie she wrote, Mean Girls. She’s smart, sexy, funny and endearingly normal and accessible. I love 30 Rock. Amy Poehler has great comic timing, even if she always sounds like she’s making fun of her own line reading. Together they snap, crackle, and […]

Leatherheads

Apr 42008

George Clooney has worked with an interesting assembly of directors, and spent years on episodic television. What I just figured out about Clooney the director is that he is a crafter of moments more than a story teller. He’s clearly watched and learned from Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton), the Coen brothers, and Steven […]