Monday, June 01, 2009

Mel's Movie Reviews

Good morning all.

I would like to cover some of the movies that have come out for the 2009 summer season.

Instead of being a retard, like movie reviewers who basically tell you the entire movie, I'll try not to spoil it for you. If you're the type who likes to watch clips, and read endings, then you're screwed anyways:


X-Men Origins : Wolverine
My Rating: C+
My Tag Line: "If you're only about Logan, it's a great movie. If you like anyone else, it's a C+"
Nice action film. Standard special effects. Moderate fight scenes. Butchers characters that aren't Wolverine or Sabretooth. Has minor shout outs to X-Men series. Disappointing for a Marvel Studios release, but hey, not everyone can make Iron Man on every attempt.

JJ Abrams - Star Trek
My Rating: A+
My Tag Line: "If you like Star Trek, you will love this movie. If you love Star Trek, you won't be TOO offended. If you don't like Star Trek, you might still like this movie, a lot."
Fantastic movie. Invigorating from start to end. A Shatless work of art. Every cast member shines. Special effects are sharp and dynamic. Tons of easter eggs to other ST films. The series is reborn in an Abrams spectacle.

Angels & Demons
My Rating: B-
My Tag Line: "Way more exciting than the audiobook. Darker than DaVinci Code. A solid time waster."
Ron Howard is not a bad director. A&D's a fun and dark romp through the Vatican. Dan Brown's book translates well, and everyone's casted perfectly. Hanks is good enough. The movie is entertaining enough. As movies go, it's not a gourmet meal, but it's satiating.

Terminator: Salvation
My Rating: C+
My Tag Line: "Meh, it's not HORRIBLE."
Christian Bale's John Connor is the least interesting character in this movie. The special effects were par to Transformers, but the hideous audio effects made everything seem clunky. I suppose I was glad I saw it, but in all honesty, it wasn't that fun. A few interesting characters, and tons of explosions, gun shots, and loud sounds. What was it about T2 that made it magical? Revolutionary special effects, a terrifyingly unstoppable bad guy, and a great camraderie between the characters. What is it that makes T4 so boring? The lack of all of the above.

UP
My Rating: A+
My Tag Line: "I laughed, I cried. Pixar won me again."
Don't watch clips. Don't wiki the movie. Walk into it, trying to understand why a grumpy old man would tie a million balloons to his house, while a chubby asian boyscout tags along. It was under this premise that 'UP' became a treasure for me. Pixar has gotten their movie making formula down to a deliciously consistent recipe. No it's not Wall-E, Cars, or Rattatouie (sp), but it's not supposed to be. It's 'Up', and should be enjoyed as 'Up'. It's a beautifully made movie. The colors are fantastic, and it's 3D Glasses concept does NOT beat you over the head. It gives you a much nicer window into the world without forcing random objects on you for the sake of it. And without spoiling anything, I love 'Dug'. I love him to death.

Since this summer is JUST beginning there's still a bajillion more movies to watch. I'll keep all you posted. You know, cause you're all reading it.