Tag: movies

REVIEW: An Inconvenient Truth

Post ImageSharon and I went to see Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth a few days ago at the Garneau. I thought the film was very well done, and unlike Sharon, I didn’t think it was too long. Gore is an incredibly engaging speaker, and he does a super job of getting his point across. I do have a few issues with the film though:

  • This is a very one-sided story. Which is okay, as long as you make the effort to find out about the other side.
  • Gore uses lots of numbered lists in the movie, which gets confusing after a while. Lists such as, “three reasons for this” and “four causes for this” and on and on.
  • A picture really is worth a thousand words, but I found myself wanting to know more about the flashy graphs Gore kept showing. I mean you could take them at face value, but how responsible would that be?
  • His self-introduction as “the former next president of the United States” is funny, but I have heard it a few times now, so it has lost that special ring.

If you want a good argument for “the other side”, I would suggest reading some of Michael Crichton’s work. He’s written some great stuff, such as:

Kill the wolves, and save the elk. Move the grizzlies, and avoid the lawyers. And on, and on. Its this simplistic, cause-and-effect thinking that must go.

And for that matter, who believes that the complex system of our atmosphere behaves in such a simple and predictable way that if we reduce one component, carbon dioxide, we will therefore reliably reduce temperature? CO2 is not like an accelerator on a car. Its not linear (and by the way, neither is a car accelerator.) And furthermore, who believes that the climate can be stabilized when it has never been stable throughout the earths history? We can only entertain such an idea if we dont really understand what a complex system is. Were like the blonde who returned the scarf because it was too tight. We dont get it.

I like that excerpt, because most of An Inconvenient Truth is focused on explaining how CO2 causes temperatures to rise.

There are some great non-climate-crisis gems in the movie. At the beginning, Gore shows some images of the earth, and explains how they were taken from space, and that one of them is the most commonly published photo in history. Fascinating stuff.

As a skeptic not of the earth’s temperature rising at the moment but of global warming, I didn’t leave the theatre preaching Gore’s gospel. I do think his movie is the best argument for global warming that I have seen though.

Interestingly, Sharon and I both had the same reaction when leaving the theatre – “I wish he had been president.”

REVIEW: Superman Returns

Post ImageI went to see Superman Returns late last night with Megan and a couple other people. As you’re probably aware, I was really looking forward to it, and for that reason, I didn’t think the movie would meet or exceed my expectations. And it didn’t. That said, it wasn’t a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination, it just wasn’t as good as it could have been. Now, when reading the following review, you need to keep a few things in mind:

  • I do not profess to be a Superman nut. I have never read a Superman comic book. I really wasn’t interested in Superman until I got hooked on Smallville.
  • I’m a huge Smallville fan! I have seen every episode, and read almost everything about the show that I could find. It seems that half of the Superman faithful like the show, and the other half don’t.
  • This review will contain spoilers, so if you’re planning to see the movie, skip this post until after you’ve spent your arm and your leg at the theatre.

And now, on with the review! In point form, so I can break it down…

Comparison to Smallville

  • I really quite enjoyed the “superbreath”. Word is, Clark will gain this ability in Season 6 of Smallville, and I quite like the way it was done in Superman Returns.
  • The full color x-ray vision in the movie is better than in Smallville, but the way Smallville does his superhearing is much better I think.
  • I was really looking forward to Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, as I think he’s a superb actor. I really think Michael Rosenbaum does a better Lex though. The problem is that in the movie, there’s nothing to work with. On Smallville, Michael can be good Lex and bad Lex, which probably results in a better character.
  • I swear I could hear Annette O’Toole in the Martha Kent in this movie, played by Eva Marie Saint.

Things I Liked

  • I absolutely loved the shout out to citizen journalism, even if the kid’s camera phone pictures were far too high quality to be real. Good job Perry White for realizing that the newspaper reporter is a dying breed.
  • The suit and the updated Superman logo are excellent!
  • Brandon Routh did a great job as Clark Kent/Superman. I was expecting him to suck, but he was actually really easy to like in the role. I don’t know what Roger Ebert was smoking when he said he didn’t like Routh.
  • The glasses are an amazing disguise! No seriously, the difference between Clark and Superman in the movie is subtle, but very well done.
  • Jimmy Olsen! What a great character. I wonder if Smallville will introduce him…
  • The beating up of Superman by Lex and his thugs was very well done.
  • Absolutely gorgeous CGI. I think the ability to do so much with graphics is the main reason this film was made.

Things I Disliked

  • Kitty Kowalski. Meet the Jar Jar Binks of this movie. Seriously, what the hell was the point of this character?
  • The superboy tease. After he pushed the piano, I kept wanting to see him use his abilities again. The camera would even pause on him, as if to set it up, but time after time, he was just a normal kid. Very disappointed it wasn’t explored further.
  • The movie was too long. I only noticed it a few times during the movie, but afterward, I felt as though they could easily have cut some of the scenes.
  • The complete lack of chemistry, between any of the actors.
  • Didn’t Lois find out Clark’s true identity? Why weren’t there any references to that in this movie?
  • I felt like the movie wanted to be modern day, but was trapped in the past. Until we see Lois’ car, all of the vehicles look old. The buildings look old. The fashion looks old. Maybe that was the intent, but it looked dumb with cameraphones and LCD tv’s all over the place.
  • Kal Penn is in this movie. You know, the guy from Van Wilder and Harold & Kumar? Yeah, exactly. I couldn’t take him seriously. Fortunately, he didn’t have any lines.
  • Almost as bad was that every time I saw James Marsden, I kept thinking “Cyclops!” – they should have had someone else play Richard White.

The Worst Parts

  • Actually, this one is the best part – near the beginning of the film, there’s a very intense sequence where Superman saves Lois Lane and a bunch of other reporters after a horribly failed Shuttle launch from the top of a Boeing jet. The sequence is so exhilirating and exciting, that everything else in the movie simply cannot match it. That’s why it’s listed here under the worst parts.
  • Lex building islands? How lame is that?! This plot device might have been better if it had been given more time to develop, or if Lex had actually acquired some of the “advanced alien technology” he talked about, instead of just some ugly rock in the middle of the ocean. It was totally anticlimactic.
  • The movie is called “Superman Returns”, not “Lois Lane Returns”. Far too much time was spent on Lois. This movie should have been all about Superman.

Final Thoughts

As far as comic book movies go, this one is not at the top of the list. Spiderman, X-Men, and Batman Begins are far better movies, and maybe this film should have followed the same recipe. I think it would have been better if we’d seen Clark Kent become Superman in exactly the same way we saw Peter Parker become Spiderman, or Bruce Wayne become Batman, or Logan become Wolverine. When I mentioned this to Megan, she said, “so you wanted them to make a Smallville movie?” The answer is no. Smallville deals with Clark growing up, gaining his abilities, etc. The movie I have in mind would take place right after Smallville ends (or is supposed to end). Show us Clark deciding to become Superman! Show the transition, just like the other great comic book movies did.

It seems to me that Superman could have used a brand new introduction to the younger generation, and the need to connect to the old movies and credit Christopher Reeve and Marlon Brando and those other actors held this movie back. Just imagine, a Superman movie created like Batman Begins was, ignoring the previous films. That would have been so great!

If you like Superman, you’ll probably love the movie. If you just like comic book movies, you might be disappointed when comparing it to the likes of Spiderman.

Old School 2

Post ImageOh man, I just can’t believe this. Well that’s not true, I can, I just can’t wait! Via Sharon, I got this link to the IMDB site with an entry for Old School 2! Yes, a sequel to one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. There information there is sparse, but Wikipedia has the goods:

Old School 2 is the announced sequel to Old School. This film will be made by DreamWorks SKG and will be distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is scheduled to be released some time in 2007.

That’s just the description though. The real goods are in the cast list they provide: Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Steve Carrell, Elisha Cuthbert, Kathy Bates, and Christopher Walken.

Is that even possible? The Wikipedia entry has a warning that sources have not been cited, so take that list with a grain of salt, but still! That would be absolutely amazing! IMDB has the movie listed for a 2007 release. I hope it is correct.

Black van of death, Frank the tank, and all the other greatness that was Old School. Just imagine!

I wish IMDB had RSS feeds for movies, then I could easily see when the cast is updated.

Funny Tokyo Drift Movie Review

Post ImageDespite a completely rotten rating, it seems there are at least a few people who have enjoyed The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. I have friends who have said it’s alright, and maybe even enjoyable. I don’t plan on seeing the movie, because I just can’t imagine it would be worth it, even with a cameo by Vin Diesel. However, a commenter on IMDB named wooptydoo certainly thinks it is worth the experience:

You must see this movie just for the cameo appearance by Vin Diesel. It’s going to give you a weird feeling that you will never experience again. It’s like you’re excited but ashamed that you are excited. However, you are somehow angry that he’s in the movie, but content, because you knew you would be angry anyway by the sheer stupidity of the movie. Then when he starts talking you just gaze at the movie screen. It’s like watching a car crash into an orphanage, catch fire and witness kids jumping out the window and landing on a masturbating squirrel. Now, I don’t know what a masturbating squirrel looks like, but I assume it would be like watching the last part of that scene. It was an emotional roller-coaster.

Somehow that kind of comment is so much more interesting than the usual “trashy, but fun” kind of thing, don’t you think?

I guess the good news with Tokyo Drift is that there haven’t been any news reports of teenagers destroying theatres by attempting to drift in the parking lot. At least, none that I have seen!

Nacho Libre Swag

Post ImageOne of the cool things about having a bigger audience for my blog than just friends and family is that occasionally I get some free stuff sent my way. For example, I have received a bunch of Nacho Libre (IMDB, RT) marketing swag over the last couple weeks, so I thought I’d share it with you. The movie which stars Jack Black opened on Friday night, by the way.

Seems the good folks at Paramount are banking on the movie’s soundbites to drive traffic. I got a DVD with the trailer, and a CD that contained sound clips from the film. I also received a sort of “introductory” letter, which is big on using phrases from the movie. Here’s an excerpt:

This is your ticket to get your “stretchy pants,” so “join us in our quarters this night for some toast,” and “be the gatekeeper of your own destiny and enjoy your glory day in the hot sun.”

Here are some of the other things I received:

I think my favorite item is the bobblehead – it’s pretty cool actually! There’s a few more pictures in my Nacho Libre Swag photo set.

The funny thing about the swag is that it didn’t compel me to see the movie (at least I haven’t gone yet). From the moment I saw the first preview a few months ago, I had pretty much tagged the movie as worthy of a DVD rental but maybe not a theatre visit. I guess first impressions really do matter!

Read: Nacho Libre

REVIEW: Hard Candy

Post ImageI went to see Hard Candy last night with Sharon at the Princess here in Edmonton. We weren’t sure exactly what to expect, as most of the things I had read said something like “story about an Internet pedophile with a twist.” I ended up liking the movie, if not exactly enjoying it – Hard Candy isn’t a movie you can enjoy (unless you’re particularly sick and twisted I suppose). The film was originally released last January at the Sundance Film Festival, but has only recently made it to the theatres.

With the exception of the first scene or two, the entire movie takes place at Jeff’s house where we see the interaction between Jeff (played by Patrick Wilson) and young Hayley (played by Ellen Page). The acting is brilliant, as it would have to be for a movie that has only two characters and one set! This has been called Ellen’s breakout role, and its easy to see why – her character is so multifaceted and she plays all sides extremely well. The scenes are beautifully shot as well. As Sharon noted, when the movie starts and Jeff has power over Hayley, the shots of him are far away, while Hayley is shown up close. When the power shifts, so do the shots.

The movie has been called a “revenge drama”, but it’s just as much a psychological thriller as it is a drama. The actors do such an amazing job that you can’t help but be drawn into their heads, to ponder what they are thinking. Director David Slade does a good job of keeping the story going, at times letting the audience relax before bringing the suspense right back again.

SPOILERS BELOW – Skip this next part if you don’t want to know what happens.

Despite all the good things in Hard Candy, I think the film suffers from two flaws. The first is that we are never given a reason for why Hayley becomes a vigilante for underage girls everywhere. Is she a friend of the young girl who she claims Jeff murdered? If not, how did she find out about Jeff? What motivates her? This omission was particularly troublesome at the end of movie, as you’re left wondering why?

The second flaw is that Hayley seems much older than a 14 year old girl. Perhaps she is, as she points out at one point, “maybe I’m not even Hayley.” So that could explain that she’s older than 14, but assuming she is 14, she seems far too smart/mature. I am not an expert on the behaviour of 14 year old girls mind you, but Hayley’s is anything but normal.

Okay maybe one more flaw – how did Jeff not pass out when Hayley was “castrating” him? The sight alone would have sent me off to never never land I think! Sure he squirmed and begged and stuff, but still.

SPOILERS ABOVE

Hard Candy was apparently filmed in just 18 days. It is based on a real story that producer David Higgins had heard about girls in Japan who would bait sexual predators online to confront them. The title itself comes from the Internet slang for an underaged girl.

Once you get past the disturbing parts of the movie, you’ll probably start to question what happened. Was it deserved? Is it the only way to deal with Internet pedophiles? Or perhaps the best question of all – should sexual predators/Internet pedophiles be punished, or helped? Jeff is clearly a troubled man, and he realizes this thanks to Hayley, so what if she had helped him instead of punishing him? I think that’s the dilemma the movie leaves you with.

I’d say that Hard Candy was a good movie, that executes very well on it’s intended goals. That said, it’s not for everyone, and if you’re going to watch it, be prepared! The disturbing scenes in the movie really are disturbing, so keep that in mind. It’s rated R for a reason. I’m looking forward to what Ellen Page does next, as she’s obviously a very gifted actress.

Read: Hard Candy

Upcoming Movies I Want To See

Post ImageThere’s a long list of movies coming out over the next few months as the summer blockbuster season gets underway in May. Here’s a list of the movies opening up in the next month that I want to see, complete with links to the relevant pages at IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes so you can check out reviews and such (and I can refer back to them later):

  • United 93 – IMDB, RT
    I think enough time has passed since 9/11 that we need a movie like this. It’s all part of the healing process.
  • Stick It – IMDB, RT
    If this movie is anything like Bring It On, I’ll happily call this movie my guilty pleasure of the summer.
  • Akeelah and the Bee – IMDB, RT
    It’s produced by Starbucks, how could I not at least check it out?! And it has Morpheus 😉
  • Mission: Impossible III – IMDB, RT
    Tom Cruise may be a nutjob, but he usually doesn’t disappoint in these movies.
  • The Da Vinci Code – IMDB, RT
    Who isn’t going to see this movie? Except for Sharon, because she’s weird.
  • Over the Hedge – IMDB, RT
    Looks like a funny animation film to me!
  • X-Men: The Last Stand – IMDB, RT
    Ah part three! So far I have really enjoyed the X-Men movies.

And further out, I am really looking forward to Superman Returns (IMDB, RT), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (IMDB, RT), Cars (IMDB, RT), and Casino Royale (IMDB, RT).

Who knows how I am going to afford all of these movies, but that’s the list!

YouTube Popularity

Post ImageInteresting piece up at News.com about YouTube and the phenomenal success it has been having, at least in terms of traffic. No one is quite sure how they are going to make money, or if they have staying power, but they certainly do not have a lack of users:

According to numbers provided by traffic-tracking company ComScore Networks, YouTube received 4.2 million unique visitors in February. Those numbers are good enough to outpace Apple Computer’s iTunes (3.5 million) and put it within spitting distance of eBaumsworld.com (4.4 million) and AOL Video (4.7 million), both of which have been in business longer.

Personally, I think YouTube is going to run into very big problems. Lately when I have been on the site, I have come across a lot of videos that display a “removed due to copyright infringement” message, and I can only guess that it will get worse before it gets any better.

Like most Web 2.0 companies, they plan to use advertising to make money:

“We’re experimenting with different business models,” she said. “It’s not going to be a traditional model, that is for sure. Right now, we don’t want to disrupt the user experience. But eventually, we’re going to introduce extremely relevant ads that will benefit users and won’t disrupt the service.”

I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it here again – Google is an anomaly. I don’t think advertising is a truly sustainable business model, and even if it works for YouTube, they’ll never reach the levels that Google has. I think they need something besides simply advertising to truly make it.

Read: CNET News.com

My kids don't know what a DVD is!

[Obviously I don’t have any kids, so play along would you?]

Sometime in the not too distant future…

The strangest thing happened today! My daughter came home from school and started telling us all about her exciting day in the first grade. Then out of nowhere, she asked what a DVD was! I guess her class had been learning about how the screens in their desks work and the teacher made a reference to DVDs. I did my best to explain that in the old days, we needed to have a small, round disc in order to get a movie or something to play. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around the idea – it was kind of like me when I learned about record players. She’s used to having everything appear automatically – the lessons, videos and assignments all appear in her desk, “like magic” she tells me. Having physical media is such a thing of the past, and thank goodness for that too!

I can’t imagine what she’ll think when I explain to her that wireless wasn’t always everywhere and we’d have to disconnect and reconnect to different hotspots!

Back to the present…

It’s going to happen, it’s only a matter of time. The time when we download everything is coming, and it’s coming sooner than you think. Physical media is dying.

As Engadget noted the other day, Blu-Ray stuff is going to start shipping near the end of May. The format war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD is pretty much useless though. Do we really need a new format? I think the advantages offered are not as great as those offered by DVD when compared to VHS, so people likely won’t upgrade in mass numbers. I think that’s why the Xbox 360 shipped with a good old fashioned DVD drive – people are going to start downloading content more and more.

Think about it for a second. A small percentage of online music sales are online right now, but the number is growing. The big networks like NBC and ABC have started selling downloadable video, a trend that is expected to continue. Millions of people have satellite TV or digital cable services that let them download new content all the time. Broadband connections are extremely popular around the world, and the United States is finally starting to catch up. And when we do finally have wireless everywhere (we’re getting closer) there will be no need for discs. Instead, everything will be accessed online.

Sure things will be difficult at first. What we really want is the concept of download once, play anywhere. That will take some time, but it is definitely achievable, and has already begun with devices like the Windows Media Center PC. Wifi is spreading throughout homes – how long until we see televisions with built in wireless connections so they can access content from devices around the house? These are the kinds of things that will become commonplace.

My brother and sister buy DVD’s all the time, and I have lots of friends who buy CDs, but I haven’t bought any for quite some time now (don’t have time to watch a lot of movies). If I could get entire Xbox 360 games off Xbox Live instead of just demos, I’d probably do that too.

I can already see the headlines – “DVD format disappears almost as quickly as it came!”. Never before has a format been so widely adopted so quickly. Maybe downloading will come almost as quickly? I for one think the download party is going to get much bigger in the next few years.

BBQ, Curious George, and more!

After the wrap up at Moosecamp today I went on the photo walk to Stanley Park with Dickson, Megan and a bunch of other Northern Voicers. The weather was fairly nice so we got to take some good pictures while enjoying the walk. The BBQ was Boris Mann’s idea, and it went very well!

Eventually we decided to head off, stopping for Starbucks on the way. We went to the one at Davies and Denman, and I have to say it is probably one of the largest Starbucks I have ever been in! So roomy.

We just got back from the theatre – we went to see Curious George. It was a great movie, and definitely a “kids” movie. Not like Shrek or something where there is innuendo for the adults, but a true kids movie. Don’t get me wrong though, it was very entertaining!

Lots of walking today, lots of paying attention, and now I am getting sleepy. We’re up early tomorrow morning for the actual conference day, and looking forward to it!