Movie Reviews - July

I got to the theater twice this month - actually twice in about a week. The big blockbusters that I had to see on the big screen opened back to back - Superman Returns and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. I wasn't the only one to see Pirates - the movie raked in the most $$$ over the weekend ever. Wow! What did I think, and how did it compare to Superman? My reviews of these movies (along with a few DVD's I watched during the month) are below. Again, ratings are out of four stars.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Directed by: Gore Verbanski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley



First things first: how did it compare to the original? From my point of view, it wasn't as good as Curse of the Black Pearl. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy Dead Man's Chest. In fact, I really liked it! It just wasn't as fresh or unique as the first movie, and the acting and plotlines were more outrageous and unbelievable. Honestly, the movie was also too long - how many "jungle chase" scenes does a film really need? Any number higher than "one" to me is overkill. What was good about this movie?

• Johnny Depp - he was hilarious and over the top as Captain Jack.
• Orlando Bloom - hottie!
• The special effects - Davy Jones' henchmen were a CG masterpiece, as was Jones himself.
• Sets / locations - The producers took full advantage of the gorgeous Caribbean and showed a variety of beautiful, lush tropical islands.

I didn't like how the movie ended, but considering it is Part 2 of 3 I'm not surprised. I'm an impatient person and it's going to kill me to have to wait until next Memorial Day to find out how the big cliffhanger is resolved. I would recommend this movie to anyone over the age of 10 who enjoys action-adventure-comedies. No young children though - it's pretty gruesome and scary in parts.

My rating: ***


Superman Returns
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey

I liked this one a lot more than I thought I would. I also loved Brandon Routh, which was also surprising considering I thought he was a pale imitation of Christopher Reeve. But Routh really put his own stamp on the Man of Steel. The fact that he is drop-dead, out of this world gorgeous helps - I really could believe he wasn't of this planet - he is that perfect. Kate Bosworth wasn't as convincing as Lois, she is just too young looking and too tiny to be an authentic hard-nosed investigative reporter. Kevin Spacey was great as Lex Luthor - I just wish his plotline was a little more believable.

Speaking of plotlines, I really enjoyed 90% of this film's plot. It was nice how they addressed Superman's return to earth in realistic terms - not everyone is happy that he's back. The action sequences were a bit sparse (my husband complained the movie was "slow") but I enjoyed the fact that characters' motivations and feelings weren't discarded in exchange for big explosions and crashes.

This movie is definitely more family-friendly than Pirates although it is long and drags on in parts - so kids and impatient husbands may get bored. Other than that, it appeals to a wide range of people and I recommend it to anyone looking for a great movie escape this summer. Most of all, I'm looking forward to seeing what Singer will do with the next Superman film. If it's going to be anything like X2, we're all in for a treat!

My rating: *** 1/2

Ultraviolet
Directed by:Kurt Wimmer
Starring: Milla Jovovich, Cameron Bright

This movie was a complete and utter mess. It was a horrible combination of The Matrix, Blade, and Aeon Flux. Basic plot is thus: Bad virus overtakes some of Earth's population and the government is anxious to get everyone back to "normal." The "freaks" fight back, and Milla is the baddest one. I hated this movie, but my husband kept trying to convince me it wasn't that bad. The plot was extremely convoluted, and although there was a voice over at the beginning explaining some plot points, there were at least a dozen others that were very confusing and some that didn't even come together at the end. The action sequences were okay - Milla is good at martial arts and looked badass, but I didn't really believe that she could take on 100 soldiers and come out unscathed.

My thoughts on who to recommend this to: young guys who like comics, video games, and hot women. Everyone else should skip it and save the hour and a half to do something more productive.

My rating: * 1/2

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Directed by: Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan

This was a wonderful, funny, quirky movie. Downey and Kilmer make great "comebacks" with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It's a film noir-ish comedy set in the LA world of celebrity and crime - mixing the two delightfully. Val Kilmer is hilarious as "Gay Perry," a homosexual private investigator. I haven't enjoyed him in a movie for a long time. Downey is equally good - there's just something inherently likeable about the guy. It's a shame that he fell into drugs because he has the talent to be one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He certainly has "nine lives" though - every time he emerges from another stint at rehab, he pulls off a great performance. Monaghan is also great, and much better than she was in Mission Impossible:3. If I had seen this one before MI3 I probably would have enjoyed her a lot more.

This movie isn't for everyone, it's fairly violent and has some nudity and a lot of swearing. But it's one of the most original films I've seen in a while. If you like offbeat comedies and have a twisted sense of humor, you'll love Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

My rating: ***


Running Scared
Directed by:Wayne Kramer
Starring: Paul Walker, Cameron Bright

I didn't know Paul Walker had it in him to play anything but a laid-back dimwitted surfer guy. Even when the role calls for someone darker and/or more intellectual he still comes off as all Valley and "Dude!" (see Timeline for an example of this) But in Running Scared, Walker plays a low-level mob flunky who gets into big trouble and is chasing down a kid (Bright) to save his own life. Cameron Bright has become the new Hayley Joel Osment - the default creepy kid (see Ultraviolet, he plays pretty much the same character). What can I say about the plot? It made sense overall but there were some parts that were unnecessary and took away from the main action of the movie. I also thought the movie was extremely graphic - it earned that "R" and then some. There was a lot of gruesome violence (heads being blown off, etc), nudity (strip club - check!), and the "F" bomb was dropped every other word.

Needless to say, this movie isn't for the kiddies. Anyone under 16 probably shouldn't watch it. That said, it wasn't a terrible movie - but it wasn't great either. It kept me entertained, although I wish it would have been 15-30 minutes shorter. And Paul Walker - nice ass! I'll have some more of that please!!

My rating: ** 1/2

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Pirates of the Caribbean
Superman Returns
Johnny Depp
Orlando Bloom