Saturday, June 21, 2008

The Incredible Hulk

Sometimes, a movie skates through because "it is what it is". This applies to most Adam Sandler movies, family cartoons, and any other movie with someone from Saturday Night Live in it- especially if the film is based on a skit. This is an action movie with a ton of cgi, based on a comic book, and is geared to the average 10 year old boy. But in today's world of grand theft auto, there is a possibility that even a 10 year old boy will find it as boring as watching paint dry. Edward Norton's massive talent is wasted on this film- Liv Tyler is NO match for him as his girlfriend. I hardly recognized William Hurt. It's not like you don't know what this movie will do next. But the story is boringly told- relying on nothing but ammunition and growling. It will make a ton at the box office- but if you read the negative reviews closely enough, they will tell you why you just might not like this. It is bombastic and overdone, repetitive and lengthy, and frankly, not worth your admission. It is what it is- and you know exactly what that is and it should be easy enough for you to decide it 2 hours of cgi and violence is worth it.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Sex and the City- the movie

No one was a bigger fan of the tv show that I was. And now, the movie! There's good news and bad. IF you were a big fan of the show, and if you have the emotional attachment to the characters, then this is definitely the movie for you. It's 5 years later, Charlotte has adopted her chinese baby girl, Lily, and is still happily married, Samantha is still with her younger guy out in Malibu managing his career, Carrie is about to get engaged, and Miranda is struggling with marriage and a career. It takes off from there. The sets are great, the movie is written VERY much in the same fashion as the tv show (thank the shoe gods) and the faithful can hop along for the ride. It is great to watch a movie where friendships stay firm- forgiveness is given for trespasses and women defend and protect one another. These women understand loyalty. The bad news is that Sarah J Parker has set herself up as the icon- she actually sets this story up so she can have a photo layout in VOGUE in varieties of wedding dress, while her adoring friends look on and cheer. She is so skinny, and not a soft looking skinny but a muscular, bantam chicken kind of skinny. Even with her nose thinned on the end and those Hollywood veneers, she is still not meant for glamour. She has not aged any better than you'd think, and it really is tough sometimes to believe that Big would have ever dated her in the first place. Shallow, I know. But the world is shallow. I hope this movie doesn't win an award for lighting- in some scenes,the lighting is so harsh that even beautiful Charlotte looks a little worn- and in others, the lighting is so soft that the actresses don't even look like themselves. It is hard to believe that a film of this expense has such inconsistency on something as basic as lighting and soft lens work. I'd highly recommend this film for adult women- but only if they were fans, because it won't make much sense if you haven't been familiar with the women. There is graphic sex and nudity- and that goes for males and females. The writing is as good as the tv show. If there IS a sequel, I'd see it.