Set in an alternate vision of the year 1985, the murder of an ex-superhero causes a vigilante named Rorshach (Haley) to look into the matter, an investigation that reunites him with his surviving old colleagues — all of them former superheroes themselves — and gradually unveils a conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future.

I was watching a review today on television about Watchmen. One commentator commented that unlike Spiderman and Superman, and other such pedantic superhero series, it would be hard for people who have not read the Watchmen comics or know the stories or the characters, to fully enjoy or follow the film. Well, that may be so for someone who’s not looking for any meat in their film going experience. Unlike Spiderman, Superman and such predictable and yawn inducing comic to film adaptations (with the exception of Singer’s recent Superman remake), Watchmen is very much a film anyone who loves films can watch without any backstory of the characters or the comic series.
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March 8th, 2009 / 1 comment

Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) was born under unusual circumstances. As everyone around him grew older, he aged backwards, making the challenges of life such as creating friendships, finding a job and falling in love all the more difficult and heartbreaking.

In spite of the hype, I went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on opening day. The beginning sucked, the middle was ok, the end was too long. However, as always it was great watching Cate Blanchett on screen. She’s one of those actresses who can turn coal into diamonds in seconds just by being present. Brad Pitt was also very endearing as Button. Perhaps one his best performances yet. Continue reading

December 31st, 2008 / 1 comment

A pair of lawmen (Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen) out to save a Western town from a rancher’s tyrannical reign find their bond, and their mission, tested by the arrival of a double-dealing widow (Renee Zellweger).

Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen are just brilliant and funny. Appaloosa is a truly and perfectly realized film of a genre (Western) that I’m growing more fond of every year. 2007’s 3:10 to Yuma starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, and HBO’s Deadwood have brought life back into the genre with invigorating and less sexist and isolating force.
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October 12th, 2008 / Want to Comment?

While shooting a big-budget war movie, a group of actors (Stiller, Black, Downey Jr., and others) are forced to become soldiers in a real-life conflict.

Simply, Tropic Thunder was the funniest comedy I have seen all year and perhaps in a very long time. Ben Stiller is a smart and talented writer, actor and director. He seems to know what’s funny without being to ridiculous and too slap-sticky. And Robert Downey Jr was just perfect. His “black” character was never offensive and totally funny.
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September 6th, 2008 / Want to Comment?

When the mythical world engages their campaign to take over the Earth, the U.S. government reaches out to the only department staffed to handle the potential catastrophe: The Bureau for Paranormal Research, who once again turns to the demon hero Hellboy (Perelman) and his teammates to stop a merciless dictator from carrying out his plan.

I saw the first Hellboy and didn’t much care for it, but the previews for the second installment seemed promising. All in all Hellboy II: The Golden Army was a very well made, visually impressive film but it’s one of those films that left me thinking I would have rather rented it.
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July 30th, 2008 / Want to Comment?

As much as I love Christian Bale and very much like both Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart, Heath Ledger was the best part of Dark Knight, which is saying a lot because the whole film was fantastic! Ledger’s Joker character was wholly believable, funny and much better than Jack Nicholson’s portrayal in Batman (1989).
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July 21st, 2008 / Want to Comment?

An apathetic, hard-living superhero (Will Smith) who has fallen out of favor with the public is approached by a public relations professional (Jason Bateman) who has ideas as to how he can repair his client’s image.

I was quite looking forward to Hancock because of the concept of the film. See above. But, not even 10 minutes into the film, I knew it was a dud. The directing was so mediocre. I don’t even understand why, of all directors to shoot an action film starring Will Smith and Charlize Theron, Columbia settles on Peter Berg. What the f@*k? Then again, the film does have a messy history and went through so many script rewrites the original script is almost non-existent in the final. At the getgo it seemed producers had no real artistic vision for the film and were only looking to make it palatable for the masses without any concern for a plot that made any sense. Both Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3) and Gabriel Muccino (The Pursuit of Happyness) who are both as ill-equipped as Berg to direct such a large scale, high-concept modern superhero action film, both bowed out in directing the film.
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July 7th, 2008 / Want to Comment?

Temudgin, a young Mongol boy, endures years of poverty and torment before forming one of the most powerful empires in human history; as Genghis Khan, the leader extends the Mongol Empire from East Asia to Central Europe — creating a legacy that lasts for over 150 years.

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June 21st, 2008 / Want to Comment?