Movies

I was kind of looking forward to My Super Ex-Girlfriend: partly because of the superhero theme and partly because I’ve been harbouring a crush on Uma Thurman since The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

What’s It About?

The movie is mostly rom-com stuff, but the difference to standard romantic fare is that one of the characters has super-powers combined with super-hangups. Thurman plays the neurotic (less than imaginatively named) super hero, G-Girl (mousey curator Jenny Johnston by day) who meets average guy Matt Saunders (Luke Wilson) on the subway. A passenger snatches her bag and Wilson’s character gives chase. To cut a long story short, they end up together until G-Girl reveals her identity - and mental problems.

Probably the best part is when the couple are out with Matt’s work colleague Hannah (played by Anna Faris from Scary Movie). They overhear a news report that an impending disaster is about to strike New York and G-Girl refuses to go to the rescue because she’s jealous. Kind of makes you glad that women don’t really have super powers!

Verdict

I don’t know whether it’s testament to Uma Thurman’s acting (I doubt it), but her dippy super hero is extremely irritating and the whole movie fails to be as funny as it could have been. Kudos to Eddie Izzard for his role as the evil nemesis who actually has a long-standing crush on G-Girl, and the final scene where G-Girl ends up fighting it out with Hannah (who has acquired super powers of her own).

I also thought Luke Wilson was a deplorable choice of romantic lead. But then I would be happy to see both Wilson brothers leaveHollywood and never return.

Final Verdict: My Super Ex-Girlfriend - a superhero flop, spoiled by a mediocre storyline and less-than-lovable characters.

Tuesday, February 27th, 2007 // Movie Reviews

Did you ever believe that another Superman movie would ever hit the big screen again?

When I started to hear rumours of a new Superman movie, I was excited. I’m a big fan of Superman and without getting into the symbolism of the character and what Superman means to me, news of Superman’s Return was more than welcome.

But as the hype grew, excitement was replaced with dread. I felt that too much hype = big budget but poor movie. And so, despairing for our hero, I took Mrs Levee to see Superman Returns.

Stop. Fast Forward 3 Months.

OK, the bit above was written just after I’d seen Superman Returns in the cinema. I walked out mightily impressed, thinking Bryan Singer had done a great job and Brandon Routh had managed to bring continuity between his role and Christopher Reeve’s.

Anyway, I rented it out last night and watched it again. It’s not quite the masterpiece I imagined.

Let’s start with the supporting cast. Forgettable. Kate Bosworth is an asexual Lois Lane, not attractive, not actually anything. I detest movies where you can’t empathise with the main cast members, and Kate Bosworth is lame as Lois Lane.

Then we have Kevin Spacey. To all intents and purposes he’s reprising his spoof role here as Dr. Evil crossed with Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor of old. The problem is, I don’t recall Lex Luthor in the comics I’ve read being a comic turn, surrounded by buffoons. They could have created a much more formidable opponent for Superman.

Next, and this really bugged me, what decade was the damned film set in? In the Smallville scenes, nothing is more recent than the 1940’s: Martha Kent’s truck, the kitchen radio. The whole setup is rooted in the past, in Superman’s early years. Initially, the Metropolis scenes take the same approach - you first see the Daily Planet building, drowning in Art-Deco, then you realise there are plasma screens everywhere, Lois is on a state-of-the-art shuttle craft and Luthor is heading for the Fortress of Solitude in a very modern-looking yacht.

Hell, you might want to see what PopSyndicate says about the movie, because they also make some valid points.

Positive Points: Superman Returns

Well, Brandon Routh makes a passable Christopher Reeve clone (although he looks like he’s wearing a wig at certain points). The early airplane rescue scene is amazing, and helps to establish Routh as a credible Superman.

The effects are stunning, although Superman looks a little rubbery where he’s displayed as a CGI character. A little like Neo in the Matrix movies. The movie is overall a lot darker than the previous Superman films.

I also loved and hated in equal measure the storyline involving Lois Lane’s son. While it didn’t fit with my ideas about the Superman story, it was a nice twist and left a juicy cliffhanger that needs to be resolved in a future movie.

In Summary

Given the talent that Bryan Singer brought to the X Men movies, I’m surprised that Superman Returns wasn’t a better movie. He didn’t kill it stone dead, but after 20 years, thousands of rumours about a new movie, I expected better than this.

Brandon Routh could go another couple of rounds as the Man of Steel, but the supporting cast needs a cattle-prod up the ass and a better storyline next time - how about Doomsday and the Death of Superman? Or maybe one of those stories where Superman gains 21st Century powers?

Saturday, December 30th, 2006 // Movie Reviews

So, the third (and final?) X-Men movie sees Jean Grey return to the world, but…oops…Charles Xavier forgot to mention that Grey has a split personality and a powerful psychotic alter-ego exists inside her head! Thankfully, when Jean resurfaces she takes a moment to kill her former boyfriend, the utterly pointless Scott Summers (Cyclops).

All this takes place amid the discovery of a cure for the Mutant X gene which promises a normal life for mutants. It’s met with a mixed reaction - some mutants are glad of the prospect of a cure while others (Magneto’s crowd) see the potential ‘extermination’ of the mutant race and choose to fight against it.

The movie remains fast-paced throughout, and it’s abundant in shocks and comic moments throughout: Mystique getting shot with the Mutant cure and losing her abilities, Phoenix (Jean Grey’s alter-ego) disintegrating one of the X-Men in a tense battle, and getting frisky with Wolverine (the bit where she whips his belt off using her psychic powers was a hoot).

One of the set-pieces was completely over the top though: the bit where Magneto raises the Golden Gate bridge and floats it across to Alcatraz Island. In the name of God, why? In X-Men II, Magneto conjures floating discs from atoms of liquid metal! Plus, he has Phoenix in tow with her devastating psychic powers. Surely between them they could have thought up better transportation?

The Acting

As usual, Wolverine and Magneto get their share of the best lines. Ian McKellen is at his wicked best as Magneto, especially turning his back on a newly human Mystique (who’d sacrificed herself to protect him moments earlier) and cunningly convincing Jean Grey to join his rebellion. Hugh Jackman makes the transformation from mild-mannered Aussie to the gruff, blade-fisted Wolverine with ease, and just about steals the show. Wolverine is always the best thing about an X-Men movie.

Kudos should also go to newcomers Vinnie Jones (as rock-headed Juggernaut) and Kelsey Grammer (as Dr. Hugh McCoy). Who would have pictured Frasier as the ol’ blue furball?

On the down side, Halle Berry as Storm is a waste of space. It’s hard to tell if Storm’s character is at fault, or if the the finger should be pointed at Halle Berry’s acting, but three movies down and Storm has yet to play a central role. She’s almost as expendable as Cyclops was. A new hairdo does not the superhero make!

(Oh, why exactly do all the ‘bad’ mutants dress like junkies? Talk about stereotyping…)

X-Men: The Verdict

It’s hard to put your finger on it, but X-Men: The Last Stand is slightly different to its predecessors. Perhaps it’s the departure of director Bryan Singer, perhaps the storyline is too busy, not enough effort on character development.

Whatever your opinion, this is still a comic book translation, so suspend your disbelief for a couple of hours and enjoy the ride. As one reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes said: The Last Stand is as good if not better than X2.

If there’s a morality message, it’s lost in the dizzying special effects and fast pace of the movie. It’s definitely worth a visit to the cinema, so don’t believe the nay-sayers!

Tuesday, July 11th, 2006 // Movie Reviews

Paint the front of your house with lamb’s blood, lock up your first born son and lead my people out of Egypt, Moses. Word reaches me that the classic 10 Commandments movie is about to be re-released.

Check out the updated trailer.

Sunday, May 21st, 2006 // Observations

Pure terror. I don’t normally frighten at horror movies, but this remake of 1979’s Amityville Horror movie scared the pants off me. Honest.

This version of the Amityville Horror focuses on the Lutzes, the family who moved into the house a year or so after the DeFeo murders.

About The Movie

In a nutshell, ordinary family move into their dream home (after the Estate Agent ‘forgets’ to mention the horrific slaying committed there the previous year. Like you do.) In no time at all, George Lutz is hearing sinister whispered voices and the daughter has gained an imaginary friend with a ventilated forehead. As the paranoia takes over, subtle details about the house are revealed, interspersed with sudden frights.

As you would expect from the genre, the cinematography is grim and dark, creating an oppressive and tense environment. The story doesn’t linger long on the ‘happy families’ prelude, and the frights begin almost as soon as the family moves into the house.

There are some stunning set pieces, such as the scene where the daughter - prompted by her imaginary friend - climbs onto the roof of the house and inches toward the edge. The ensuing scramble to stop her from jumping is edge-of-your-seat stuff. By the time the movie reached it’s climax, I was aware that my heart was actually pounding!

Verdict

Opinion seems to be split on the movie. You either love it or hate it apparently.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover Melissa George in a lead role as Kathy Lutz (old school Home & Away fan!), but although visually appealing, I’m not sure she’s convincing as a mother of three. Ryan Reynolds, on the other hand slips easily into the tortured psycho role, and George Lutz’s role as a second husband gives rise to antipathy and abusiveness towards Kathy’s children as his paranoia increases.

Mrs L and the kids stayed out overnight, leaving me in the house alone. For the first time in years, I raced up the stairs to my bed, after making sure all the hallway lights were switched on. It was that scary!

Friday, April 28th, 2006 // Movie Reviews

War Of The Worlds. The big budget, Hollywood version featuring two heavyweight players: Steven Speilberg in the director’s chair and Tom Cruise in the lead role. A translation of a literary classic.

What the hell went wrong?

The movie starts out excellently, quickly establishing the main characters. Cruise plays Ray Ferrier, a regular fella who’s looking after his estranged children for the weekend. And no sooner has the ex-wife gone out the door, but the wee lad steals Ray’s car and things start to go downhill for humanity from there….

The special effects are outstanding as the alien antagonists start to emerge and ruthlessly annihilate humans left, right and center. By the time Cruise had got himself to safety, I found myself letting out a sign of relief!

And the movie continues in that vein as Cruise and his estranged children attempt to outrun the extraterrestrial attackers while developing poignantbonds along the way. Until the boy decides to confront the big alien death machines. Causes conflict in Cruise as he has to choose between children, eventually abandoning the boy, who goes missing-presumed-squished.

No complaints so far, until Cruise and wee daughter end up in a basement with a deranged dude. Suddenly, the whole movie turns boring. The tension is still there, but this part lasts way too long. Eventually Cruise slips off with their freaky host and stoves the man’s head in with a shovel. Well, you would too if aliens were vaporizing your neightbours and you were stuck in a basement with a lunatic…..

No sooner has the Tomster put the loony in a shallow grave, but the aliens start coughing and spluttering. Guess what? They can’t survive in our environment! Ha ha, forgot to do your research before the big invasion, did you E.T.?

How likely is that? Damned aliens have been observing the planet for thousands of years and when they decide to invade they conveniently ‘forget’ to pack their allergy tablets? Plonkers.

What it looks like (not just to me - I’ve asked around) is that the basement scene drove most of the test audience to suicide and Speilberg decided to wrap things up pretty quickly afterwards. Whatever, the movie ends abruptly after the basement. Aliens drop dead in the streets, Cruise and daughter find the mother (and new husband, and new in-laws) alive and well in the middle of a city. Didn’t the aliens start the annihilation in the cities? Not the safest place to be hiding out then?

Oh, and even better - the teenage son has mysteriously survived and managed to beat Cruise back to the family home. And Cruise immediately welcomes him back with open arms. No “How the f**k did you survive the bad aliens and then race across country ahead of us?”. No signs of remorse for killing the dude in the basement. And what about the ex-wife - are the doors open for a reunion? Do you care?

At the end of the day, War Of The Worlds is a great action/sci-fi movie. I was genuinely disturbed by the alien invasion scenes, up until the basement hell. The ending is abrupt, poorly executed and leaves a ton of questions unanswered. I can only assume the Director’s Cut will have a ton of extra material to fill in the blanks…

Phew! Got this far without a single comparison to Independence Day…

Tuesday, April 4th, 2006 // Movie Reviews

Oh, lucky us - we got to see a preview showing of the new Harry Potter movie, Goblet of Fire this evening!

We’ve all big fans of the Harry Potter movies, so were looking forward to the latest (movie) episode in the saga.

Basically, the movie starts off at the Quidditch World Cup where Voldemort’s followers - the Death Eaters - put in an appearance and show that ol’ Snake Face is still alive but not quite kicking….yet. On the return to Hogwarts, Dumbledore announces the Tri-Wizard Tournament to be held in the school. Inexplicably, after the third (and final) name is called, the Goblet of Fire shoots out a fourth piece of paper - with Harry’s name on it.

And so begins Harry’s participation in the Tri-Wizard Tournament: battling dragons, evading mermaids and finally seeking out the trophy from inside a massive deadly maze, culminating in a terrifying encounter with Voldemort and his minions in a cemetery.

Now, I just came out of the movie about an hour ago, so most of this is fresh. The movie is possibly the strongest in the series so far. There is better transition between the huge set pieces and a lot more detail in the telling. With the earlier movies, you sometimes felt that you were waiting for the next big stunt or special effect. Not GOF. The story flows effortlessly and both I and Mrs Levee were absorbed from start to finish.

Thoughts About The Cast

The romantic sub-plot between Ron and Hermione is really starting to develop. Rupert Grint and Emma Watson play the lovestruck teenagers to perfection - they make a few great snipey comments to each other in between bouts of jealousy and frustration.

The Weasley brothers, Fred and George, are top notch in the movie. Along with the likes of Neville Longbottom, Ron and the randy ghost Moaning Myrtle (what do you expect from a girl who hangs around the boys toilets?), they provide some priceless comic moments to break up some of the more serious scenes. The interplay between the twins is hilarious in places, particularly as they try to artificially age themselves to enter the Tournament.

The new Dumbledore still doesn’t sit well with me, I’m afraid. I always imagined Dumbledore to be a sort of sleepy but really switched on kind of dude. Michael Gambon plays Dumbledore too alert for my liking, speech slightly too clear and that accent! He certainly looks the part, but after the first two movies, Richard Harris had kind of cemented my view of what Dumbledore should be. I think I’m just going to have to get used to it.

Daniel Radcliffe does a great job playing the boy wizard. Coming out of the cinema, Mrs L suggested he was a bit gormless, like a wizard Frodo. But isn’t that how he’s supposed to be? Thrown in at the deep end, discovering a magical heritage and a faceless villain who wants to end him? We’re reminded of Harry’s vulnerability a few times throughout the movie, especially in his overtures toward Cho Chang. There’s a scene in the Hogwarts great hall where Harry makes an ass of himself in front of Cho - watch out for that bit!

Conclusion

The Potter franchise is really starting to heat up. As someone else commented, you leave the movie wanting more. When I finished reading Half-Blood Prince in the summer, I was dying for the next installment. This is the mark of greatness - I felt the same thing each time a Lord Of The Rings movie was released - damn, I have to wait another year to find out what happens. J.K. Rowling is keeping us all on a knife-edge waiting to find out how this series ends.

The frustrating thing is, she claims she already knows, the idea came to her “fully formed”!

So to summarize, the Goblet Of Fire is an amazing movie, beautifully told and executed. The special effects are much less obvious this time around, much slicker than earlier movies. Ralph Feinnes makes a terrifying Voldemort, and on that note I’ll leave it - Goblet Of Fire is not one for really young kids. Best movie I’ve seen in ages.

Friday, November 18th, 2005 // Movie Reviews

After the death of his wife, Jonathan Rivers is approached by Raymond, a man who claims she has been trying to contact him. Raymond specialises in EVP or Electronic Voice Phenomenon and has recorded Anna Rivers’ on his equipment.

Jonathan becomes obsessed with EVP, and the pursuit of his dead wife that he begins to neglect his son, his job and spends most of his time with recording equipment. After a while - despite dire warnings from a psychic and the mysterious death of Raymond Price - Rivers decides that the spirits are channelling messages through him!

While in principle, White Noise looks promising, it is actually quite a confusing movie. Why does Jonathan’s wife try to contact him from beyond? Who are the mysterious dark figures? Why choose to communicate using EVP? Why did Jonathan find out about things before they happened?

In my opinion, none of these things are properly explained in White Noise.

The movie itself is made up of some genuinely suspenseful set pieces, and you’re left wondering what the hell is going on most of the time. However, you’ll walk away confused and wondering about all the loose ends that didn’t get tied up at the end.

Does anybody know who or what the ‘mysterious figures’ were supposed to be? Aliens? Ghosts? Answers on a postcard please…..

Thursday, October 13th, 2005 // Movie Reviews