Movies

We've been watching lots of movies this summer, in theaters and at home. I thought I'd take a few minutes today to post my thoughts on a few of them.

Wolverine - This is the first in the "X-Men:Origins" series. I had heard mixed reviews before seeing this one and wasn't sure what to expect, but I actually really enjoyed it. Lots of good actions scenes and more of a storyline than I had been led to expect. It didn't entirely work with the established story of Wolverine from other movies and the comics, but it worked well enough. I'll be buying this on Blu-ray when it comes out.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen - I really loved the first Transformers and had high hopes for this one. It didn't entirely live up to those expectations. I liked it, but didn't love it as much as the first one. The action scenes were great, but the story had plot holes big enough to drive Devastator through. That isn't usually a problem for me - I have a pretty good ability to suspend disbelief - but there were several things that jumped out at me while I was watching the movie. They were enough to distract me from the movie, which almost never happens. Add to that the fact that the humor was more suited to a 13 year old boy and it adds up to something less that I had hoped for. But I did still enjoy it and I am sure we'll buy it eventually.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - Loved it! We saw this at midnight the night it came out. I continue to be suprised by just how popular Harry Potter is here in Rocket City. The movie was showing on 12 of the 18 screens at our Rave Theater and the place was packed. I saw lots of people I recognized from the book releases, and many people were in costume. The movie would have had to be pretty bad for me not to like it and fortunately it was pretty good. I think it's my favorite of the series to date. I usually re-read all the books in the series before each book or movie release, but I got smart and didn't do that this time. I think I enjoyed the movie much more than I would have if the book had been fresh in my mind. While I was watching the movie I enjoyed it quite a bit, and it was only afterward that I started realizing just how much had been left out. There were some fairly important parts of the book that were not included in the movie. I'm particularly unhappy about one thing that was left out and one thing that was greatly minimized. And there was one huge addition that I didn't like at all. Plus, too much screen time was given to a fairly minor plot point. Still, despite all that I did greatly enjoy the movie. I'm looking forward to seeing the last two movies - and I'm really glad that the last book is getting two movies; there's no way they could do it justice with just one film.

Wanted - We watched this one on television. We had intended to see it in theaters but saw Hellboy 2 instead, and in retrospect I'm really glad we did. I didn't love this one. Visually it was fun - the action scenes and effects were good - but there was almost no storyline. And it seemed like there was a story lurking there somewhere, but they just never really explored it. I love fluffy action movies (face it, "Doom" is not ever going to be up for any awards but I love that movie) but this one just didn't do anything for me. I don't think I'll be watching it again. I probably would have liked it more if James McAvoy had kept his real accent; at least it would have been fun to listen to then. (And as a side note - I am so looking forward to "Gnomeo and Juliet". I'm glad McAvoy is going the voice of Gnomeo, though I wish they had stuck with Ewan McGregor.)

Death Race - Loved it. I know it seems strange given the complaint about "Wanted" not having much a story, but I thought this one was great. It did have a storyline beneath all the action. It was a perfect summer action movie - lots of explosions, cool car scenes, characters that you could either love or hate, and a great accent to listen to. Some parts were pretty predictable but there were a few surprises too. I will be buying this one.

Tropic Thunder - Well, I didn't find this one offensive. After hearing so much about it when it was in theaters I thought I would be, but maybe all these years of South Park have dulled me to offensive things because "Tropic Thunder" didn't seem that bad to me. I didn't really find it funny, though. A few scenes, yes, but overall. . . meh. Not great. I really only watched it because Robert Downey Jr. was in it - I don't like Ben Stiller and really don't like Jack Black so maybe that contributed to my dislike of the film. I will definitely not be watching this one again. Just not my thing, I guess. It just kind of left me flat.

Made of Honor - Usually my movie tastes are more "guy-like", but I do like a few romantic comedies. I mainly watched this one because of Patrick Dempsey, and the fact that there were Scottish accents didn't hurt. I really liked it! It was totally predictable, but it was cute. One of those happy, fluffy movies like "You've Got Mail" or "Simply Irresistable" that I enjoy. It's still a chick flick, but one I think boyfriends or husbands could tolerate.