Movie #171 - Mystery Men

Title: Mystery Men

Director: Kinka Usher

Release Year: 1999

Plot Summary: A group of inept amateur superheroes must try to save the day when a supervillian threatens to destroy a major superhero and the city.

Thoughts: I think Mystery Men works because it's just sort of fun. It doesn't take itself even remotely seriously, and honestly, why should it? Also it's chock full of pithy one-liners, and anyone who knows me even a little knows that I pretty much thrive on pithy one-liners.

Recommendations: If you can appreciate the absurd, and you have even the slightest warm fuzzy feeling towards superheroes, you should get a kick out of this one.

Movie #170 - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Title: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Director: Gore Verbinski

Release Year: 2007

Plot Summary: Captain Barbossa, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann must sail off the edge of the map, navigate treachery and betrayal, and make their final alliances for one last decisive battle.

Thoughts: Man, when they talk about "treachery and betrayal," they're not kidding in the slightest. Everyone ended up being double-crossed, then triple-crossed, then quadruple-crossed for good measure. Really it was more than a bit ridiculous - I don't think even a scorecard would have been enough to keep track.

I suppose it wasn't a terrible movie - there were a couple of good parts, like the journey to World's End, and Jack's madness in Davy Jones' Locker - but overall it just left me sort of lukewarm. The plot pretty much dissolved into a morass of "cool moments" in place of making any sense, and even the few hints of what I thought were going to be character development ended up falling to the wayside. Also, final battle? Much lamer than expected, in a "what the hell? that doesn't make any sense" sort of way.

I will freely admit that At World's End was a much better (or at least more satisfying) movie than Dead Man's Chest. That said, I wasn't terifically impressed.

Recommendations: ~shrug~ In the grand tradition of the Matrix movies, I think it's probably more satisfying to pretend they just stopped after the first one.

Movie #169 - Shrek the Third

Title: Shrek the Third

Director: Chris Miller & Raman Hui

Release Year: 2007

Plot Summary: When his new father-in-law, King Harold falls ill, Shrek is looked at as the heir to the land of Far, Far Away. Not one to give up his beloved swamp, Shrek recruits his friends Donkey and Puss in Boots to install the rebellious Artie as the new king. Princess Fiona, however, rallies a band of royal girlfriends to fend off a coup d'etat by the jilted Prince Charming.

Thoughts: A resounding "meh." The story was dull, the new characters were flat and uninteresting, ninety percent of the jokes weren't funny. And I say that as someone who friggin' loved Shrek 2.

I guess there were a few plusses. The baby dronkeys, f'rinstance. One or two jokes. But I think the most telling part is that, throughout the movie, I was consistently more excited about the musical choices than I was about what was going on in the plot.

Recommendations: Just pretend Shrek 2 was the last one in the series. You'll be better off, honestly.

Movie #168 - 28 Weeks Later...

Title: 28 Weeks Later...

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadilla

Release Year: 2007

Plot Summary: Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of the British Isles, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes to plan...

Thoughts: I had seen 28 Days Later a while back, and while I'm not usually a huge fan of the whole horror/zombie genre, I was surprised to really enjoy it. So, I was interested in seeing the sequel, even though it's got none of the same characters - it's just a continuation of the idea, not of the plot, if that makes sense. And I was not disappointed.

The acting was very solid throughout - not a bunch of big names, but I think that's sometimes a good thing. I honestly can't think of anyone who turned out a less-than-solid performance, if not stellar. As for the story, I think it was actually a lot tighter than the first film, which sort of had this strange and unexpected change-of-direction in the middle. There's no unnecessary digressions, and it makes for a much smoother ride I think.

Two things really made this movie stick out for me. First, I couldn't exactly say why but I absolutely love the score. It's intense and creepy and techno and weird, but for some reason I felt it fits the movie like a glove. And finally, unlike in a lot of horror movies, I felt like almost nothing in the plot happened just because someone was a total moron. Usually you'll have a new outbreak, or zombies will get in the building, or something or other, because one of the characters does something that doesn't make any bloody sense - and I really like the fact that there's none of that in this movie. Everything that happens, the characters really couldn't have anticipated, and I think that makes it more satisfying in the end.

Recommendations: If you liked the first one, I really think you'll like this one. I'm not sure how well it would stand on its own though - they don't really explain too much about where the Rage virus came from in the first place, which I imagine might be a bit confusing. But I definitely think it's good stuff.

Movie #167 - Contact

Title: Contact

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Release Year: 1997

Plot Summary: Dr. Eleanor Arroway has spent her life searching for truth in the study of radio astronomy. Palmer Joss has spent his searching for truth through faith in God. When Ellie discovers a stunning message from an extraterrestrial intelligence, they and everyone on Earth will be forced to challenge their own assumptions. In the inevitable first contact, will humankind be able to find a compromise between science and belief?

Thoughts: I'm really not entirely sure why this one strikes all the right chords with me. It's beautifully filmed, and I love the subject matter... and I'm just enough of a sap that it pulls the ol' heartstrings in just the right way. I'm not someone who would describe himself as having a lot of faith - but Contact is about believing in something bigger than yourself, and for whatever reason, that resonates with me.

Recommendations: This is a beautiful film. One of my top ten of all time. You should watch it sometime.

Movie #166 - Spider-Man 3

Title: Spider-Man 3

Director: Sam Raimi

Release Year: 2007

Plot Summary: A strange black entity from another world bonds with Peter Parker and causes inner turmoil as he contends with new villains, temptations, and revenge.

Thoughts: Well normally I like to sit on these things for a day or so to figure out my impressions, but sometimes I just like to brag that I've seen them early... ;)

I have to admit I was worried at first about the "too many villains" syndrome, but I think they were spaced out (or maybe interspersed is more accurate) well enough that it never became a problem. I do think they amped up Sandman's powers a little too much, and likewise diminished Venom's excessively, though.

As for acting... I think everyone did an excellent job on this front. Though Black-Costume Emo Pete was a little too silly for my liking to be frank. I don't even think I can think of too much negative to say about Kirsten Dunst in this one, and she's always been the weakest link in my book.

*EDIT FOR MORE THOUGHTS!* Having watched it a second time, I think the only really serious flaw is the inclusion of Venom in the movie. I know Sam Raimi didn't want him in there originally and got talked into it, and it shows. (Oddly enough I loved Eddie Brock though.) If you mentally excise the Venom parts from the movie whilst watching, I think it comes together a lot better.

Recommendations: It's not as good as 2, but then, I didn't expect it to be. Definitely very worth seeing I think.

Movie #165 - Being John Malkovich

Title: Being John Malkovich

Director: Spike Jonze

Release Year: 1999

Plot Summary: A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of the movie star, John Malkovich. Things just get weirder from there...

Thoughts: I love Charlie Kaufman - I think he's one of the very few storytellers in Hollywood who's not afraid to tell an original story. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is, of course, one of my favorite movies of all time. Being John Malkovich isn't quite as much a masterpiece, but it is still pretty damn spiffy.

All of the actors in this movie are amazing. John Cusack and Cameron Diaz, in particular, completely submerge themselves in their roles, nearly to the point of being unrecognizable. And of course John Malkovich playing John Malkovich - honestly it's difficult to picture this movie being made around anyone else, even if it were designed around them.

I think you have to have an appreciation for the offbeat to enjoy this one. But if you have that, it's a wild ride.

Recommendations: If you're in the mood for something completely different, introspective, and more than a little melancholy, this is the movie for you.

Movie #164 - The Emperor's New Groove

Title: The Emperor's New Groove

Director: Mark Dindal

Release Year: 2000

Plot Summary: Emperor Kuzco is turned into a llama by his ex-administrator Yzma, and must now regain his throne with the help of Pacha, the gentle llama herder.

Thoughts: Took me seven years to get around to seeing this one, and I can't say I would have been too sad if I hadn't. It wasn't bad at all, really, it just wasn't anything I particularly cared too much about. Actually I'd say it's pretty much just mental popcorn - something to munch on, you'll enjoy it while you're eating it, but you're not very likely to look back afterwards and dwell on how wonderful that popcorn was.

I think my main problem with it was that there just wasn't enough story to justify a feature-length film. Honestly, thinking back, I can't even remember enough of the plot to fill more than half an hour.

Recommendations: ~shrug~ Apparently if you liked it, you really liked it. I just wasn't one of those folks.

Movie #163 - Memento

Title: Memento

Director: Christopher Nolan

Release Year: 2000

Plot Summary: A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man who killed his wife.

Thoughts: There are two overwhelming reasons why this movie works as well as it does, and the first is the acting. Guy Pearce's portrayal of Leonard, the aforementioned amnesia sufferer, is nothing short of heartbreaking; Joe Pantoliano is perfectly sleazy; and Carrie-Anne Moss, well, let's just say that this movie proves that she can pull off so much more than the cookie-cutter action heroine she played in the Matrix movies.

But of course what really makes this movie unique is the structure. I suppose you could sort of sum it up by saying the movie runs "backwards," but that's really oversimplifying it, to a nearly criminal degree. Really I can't think of a way to explain it without being terribly confusing... Suffice it to say that the non-linear storytelling helps to put you into Leonard's head, to feel as disoriented as he feels on a constant daily basis. And makes for a hell of a suspenseful movie, to boot.

Basically, this movie probably won't be quite what you expect, and almost certainly won't be like any other movie you've watched. If you're confused at first, don't worry - that's sort of the point... ;)

Recommendations: I love this movie. You should love it too. But it's definitely not one you can shut off your brain to watch.

Movie #162 - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Title: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Director: Shane Black

Release Year: 2005

Plot Summary: A petty thief posing as an actor is brought to Los Angeles for an unlikely audition and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation, along with his high school dream girl and a detective who's been training him for his upcoming role.

Thoughts: I admit I didn't really know what to think going in - I remember hearing that this movie was coming out, and I'm pretty sure I remember some people saying they liked it, but honestly it didn't make that big of an impression when it was in theatres.

That said, I think it's pretty sad that more people didn't get to see it, because Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is quite an enjoyable little flick. It's got this wonderful goofy frenetic energy throughout; it seems somewhat cliché to say it but there really is never a dull moment. Robert Downey Jr, Val Kilmer, and Michelle Monaghan all do excellent jobs with their characters and play extremely well off each other. As for the "murder mystery" - I wouldn't say it's one hundred percent unpredictable, but it's over-the-top without feeling forced, which just makes it fun.

Oh, always a plus for me: very very quotable: "No, my question. I get to go first. Why in pluperfect hell would you pee on the corpse?"

Recommendations: Good times all around. Not something you will die without seeing, I don't think, but I'd definitely recommend catching this one sooner or later. =)