I can’t believe I forgot to include The Town in my recent batch of airplane movie reviews! The omission had everything to do with jet lag and nothing to do with the quality of this film. Despite the positive reviews I heard from friends, I had a hard time believing that a movie directed by, co-written by, and starring Ben Affleck could be any good. Don’t get me wrong, I loved him in numerous Kevin Smith movies and in Good Will Hunting, but most of his other movies sucked (or he sucked in them). The Town is shockingly good.
The movie is a nice mix of drama, action, and Boston accents. It’s completely believable that a small section of Boston (Charlestown) has produced numerous bank robbers because…well, that’s what I think Red Sox fans are like (I’m kidding). The Town is a suspenseful and enjoyable crime drama. The writing is sharp and Ben Affleck is actually charming in the movie.
Hmmm, perhaps Affleck is only good when his lines are written by Kevin Smith or when he uses a Boston accent.
On Friday afternoon I accepted a quickie weekend contract job that had me in the air longer than on the ground. Thanks to my handy United upgrades, I spent the air hours in business class and caught up on a ton of movies. Most of them were what I expected, but a few of them surprised me. Here are some random thoughts on the movies I saw over the weekend.
Date Night: I thought this would be a total comedic farce, so the action surprised me. The comedy was decent, while the action was surprisingly good. Steve Carell and Tina Fey were expectedly funny, but the supporting cast really made the movie for me. I loved the brief roles Mark Wahlberg, JB Smoove, James Franco, Mila Kunis, and William Fichtner played. I was expecting an okay comedy going in and was surprised by an above-average action/comedy flick.
Megamind: It’s completely unfair, but whenever I go into a DreamWorks movie, I’m always thinking, “Yeah, no way this is as good as a Pixar film.” That’s almost always true, but that doesn’t mean that DreamWorks movies are bad. Megamind was way better than I thought it would be. The voice acting was strong and the movie had more heart than I was expecting. It was a cute blend of comedy, action, and romance. Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, David Cross, Jonah Hill, and Brad Pitt were fantastic in their roles. Megamind definitely exceeded my expectations. Good stuff.
Due Date: I was expecting a very uneven movie and that’s exactly what I got. Some of the lines and scenes were hilarious, simply because Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis are great comedians. That said, a lot of the script was just poor and couldn’t be saved by the actors. This was the perfect airplane movie for me — something I was curious to see, but not curious enough to pay for in the theaters or as a rental. I’m glad I got to see it, but I’m even happier I didn’t pay money for it.
Red: I really dislike Bruce Willis. I’ve just heard too many stories from LA friends about what an absolute dick he is. He’s also getting harder and harder to accept as an action lead due to his age. Even Bruce Willis’ dickishness wasn’t enough to defeat an excellent cast and great choreography. Plus, Mary-Louise Parker is a total milf. Helen Mirren was her usual charming self, but it was hard to buy her mowing down baddies with a machine gun. While it’s easy to be dazzled by all the star power in the movie, it would be a mistake to ignore Karl Urban (Agent William Cooper). He’s fantastic in his role. Plus, geeks should give him props for his performances in Star Trek (Bones) and The Lord of the Rings (Eomer). I enjoyed this movie in spite of Bruce Willis’ sheer dickishness.
Morning Glory: This was a random selection on my part. I figured that Rachel McAdams is cute and Harrison Ford is awesome, ergo it should be somewhat entertaining. It wasn’t a great movie, but it had some moments. Diane Keaton was very good and I like seeing Patrick Wilson (Owlman from Watchmen) get work. There were some moments that I found funny, but left me wondering, “Would this be as funny to someone that didn’t know a little bit about video production?” I’m looking forward to seeing this movie again when it’s on cable, but I wouldn’t spend money to rent it. Also, I felt guilty for thinking that Rachel McAdams is like a poor man’s version of what Neve Campbell used to be.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story: I didn’t get to finish this movie on my trip back and I really want to see how it plays out. A little over an hour into it, I was very much charmed with its smart and subtle comedy. Zach Galifianakis is more restrained than usual and it totally worked. I was very impressed with Keir Gilchrist. Zoe Kravitz is hard to take your eyes off of — you can totally see that she’s the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet. From what I saw so far, the movie seemed like a nice blend of a smart script and strong acting. I never heard of the movie before, but I’m super glad that it was on the menu.
Anyway, that was my wacky international movie experience. Let me know if you caught any of these movies and what you think of them (please).
Confession: I like Ashton Kutcher. On paper, I should loathe him. Punk’d is retarded. A lot of his movies suck. And there was that stretch in the early 2000’s when he annoyingly went to every videogame party in Los Angeles…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Timmy Bradley’s disappointing victory, Ozzy Osbourne’s sudden illness, or last-minute international jobs, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Confession: I like Ashton Kutcher. On paper, I should loathe him. Punk’d is retarded. A lot of his movies suck. And there was that stretch in the early 2000’s when he annoyingly went to every videogame party in Los Angeles. (To be fair, it wasn’t just him. Every party had at least on person from That ’70s Show and American Pie.)
The truth is…I find him funny and charming in some of his movies. I’ve enjoyed listening to him talk about his politics (fiscally conservative, socially liberal). I like that he’s perceived as this idiot pretty boy, but is much smarter than he looks. I love that he was one of the first celebrities to use Twitter in a hardcore way. Although his restaurants — Dolce and Geisha House — draw a hipster crowd, they’re actually very good. The Demi Moore thing is pretty cool too.
Ah, I feel better now that I’ve come clean about all of that. Do you have any celebrities you like but, on paper, should hate? Whether they’re from movies, music, or TV, please share your celebrity confessions today!
A few weeks ago I snagged a copy of Marvel Knights: Black Panther, a collaboration between Marvel Knights Animation and BET. I’m a fan of the character and the comics, so I was definitely curious about the DVD. However, I went into it apprehensively since it was released as a web show in 2010 with little fanfare. I was pleasantly surprised by the DVD; it’s unique, violent, well acted, and true to the comics. Here are some random thoughts on Marvel Knights: Black Panther.
Good: The art style is fantastic. Most of the scenes are only partially animated, which gives the series a motion-comic feel. A skeptic would say that this was done to save time and money, but the effect is used so well that I’m giving the creators the artistic benefit of the doubt. Additionally, the use of colors gives each location a unique feel. By switching up the color palettes, Wakanda, Egypt, Washington D.C., etc. have distinct looks. I love what the artists and animators did with the series — very cool stuff.
Good: The story is true to the comics, with only a handful of changes. This isn’t surprising since former BET president and Black Panther writer Reginald Hudlin developed the project. The most noticeable difference is switching out Rhino for the Juggernaut. Obviously Rhino makes much more sense as a villain in Africa, but I’m going to hazard a guess that there was a licensing issue. If you’ve read the Black Panther comics then you’ll be satisfied with this adaptation.
Bad: My only major complain about the series is its opening theme song. Composed by Stephen James Taylor, the song is based on the Bantu language and meant to be in the Wakandan language. It doesn’t work. At best, it’s a little silly. At worst, it’s gratingly annoying.
Good: The voice acting is top notch. Djimon Hounsou is fantastic as T’Challa/Black Panther. Hell, I can even see him playing the role in a live-action movie. Alfre Woodard and Kerry Washington are also excellent. Marvel fanboys will love Stan Lee’s brief role as General Wallace. The direction and acting are among the best in an animated series based on a comic book.
Good: Those of you that love gritty action and violence will dig this series. It doesn’t pull any punches. You’ll notice that after seeing the first decapitated head mounted on a spear.
Bottom Line: Black Panther isn’t the most popular character in Marvel Comics, but he’s one of the most important ones. Due to advancements in technology and large deposits of vibranium, Wakanda is one of the most important countries in Marvel’s version of Earth. I’m thrilled that the Black Panther series has been released on DVD. If you’re into the character or want to enjoy a unique animated series, I recommend buying it.
Director/writer (and nerd god) Kevin Smith claims that Hit Somebody will be his final movie…and really, what else is there to do after making a hockey epic? Seriously though, Cinema Blend has reported that:
Smith has confirmed that he will retire as a director following the filming of his next project. According to our source on the inside, the wonderful Katey Rich, he will instead focus on helping other people make movies. Whether this means that he will be serving as a producer or continuing to write is unknown.
If this is true, I’ll miss his work. While I thought he was an okay director at best, I loved his writing. The dialog in Clerks, Clerk II, Mallrats, andChasing Amy is fantastic. Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back is one of my favorite fan-service movies of all time. If he’s truly done with movies, I hope that he spends more time scripting comic books (and delivering on time) but…
…I really don’t think he’s done making movies. I imagine that he’s frustrated with the industry and just needs a break. I believe that he’s convinced himself that he’s done, but I doubt things will pan out that way. He’s too good and too creative; he’ll want to be in charge of his own big-screen visions again.
What do you think? Is Kevin Smith really done making movies? Or is he just a frustrated artist that’s going through a moody patch? Kindly take today’s poll and share your thoughts!
Warner Bros. has announced that the absolutely delicious Anne Hathaway will play Catwoman (Selina Kyle) in The Dark Knight Rises. In less sexy news, Tom Hardy has been confirmed as Bane. As much as I enjoyed the Bane character in the comic books, I rather look at some Anne Hathaway pictures and discuss her playing Catwoman. I have all sorts of naughty thoughts in my head of her purring while crawling on all fours. Raaawwwwrrrr!!!
Andrew Garfield is enjoying his time working on the upcoming Spider-Man reboot. Well duh! Who wouldn’t enjoy getting paid millions of dollars to play around in a Spider-Man costume and make out with Emma Stone?!? People caught up with The Social Network actor to get his thoughts on the experience. Regarding trying on the costume for the first time he said:
It was humbling and strange, and I was really moved by it. It felt right. It felt wrong. Kind of all of the above. It was just a strange, surreal moment.
As for working with Emma Stone, who plays Peter Parker’s love interest Gwen Stacy, Garfield said:
She’s just an incredible actress, and she’s one of the most spirited people I’ve ever met and just incredible fun to be around generally. On top of which, she’s beautiful and talented and kind of impossible to dream up.
I like Andrew Garfield…but jealousy issues will probably have me hating him in a few months. Lucky bastard.
Most of you know that I’m a big mark for Nightwing (Dick Grayson). As you can imagine, I loved John Fiorella’s Grayson. The trailer for Grayson went up before I “met” most of you. It’s super cool (except for the Green Lantern costume) and I hope you check it out. Share your thoughts when you have a chance (please).
Now that I’m embarrassed from admitting that I enjoy stupid parody movies, help me get over it by letting me know what you think of the costume (please). It was pretty cool in the renders and I’m digging how it looks in real life. Wucha think?
Sony Pictures has sent out an image of Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man in the upcoming series reboot. It’s a pretty cool pic…but I keep seeing Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network. Perhaps Spidey will fight the Winkelvoss twins in the movie. That would be cool.
I’m psyched that an image of Garfield as Spider-Man has been released. Until now, fanboys were spending too much time discussing Emma Stone’s (Gwen Stacy) hair. This should help them move on.
Anyway, enjoy the pic and share your thoughts (please)!
