Iron Man Kicks Off The Most Anticiapted Summer Movie Season Since 1989

This Friday, the much anticipated Iron Man movie, directed by Jon Favreau, makes its debut as the Summer 2008 movie season begins with a bang. The movie looks very promising, and I can't wait to see it. But the really great thing is that there won't be much of a let down after you have seen this movie-this summer is jam packed with movies that fanboys everywhere are dying to line up for.

After we've all seen Iron Man 4-5 times, it will be just about time for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which opens on May 22. This is the one I've been waiting for, but its also the one I could possible be let down by the most (mainly because I expect more from it). Once we've reveled in Indy with several repeat viewings (man, I really hope its good), June 13 is just around the corner, and with it comes the release of The Incredible Hulk. It sounds/looks promising, I really hope they get it right. It can't be worse than The Hulk was, though. Then its along month and then some until we get what I expect to be the rock solid, this-can't-possibly-suck lock of the summer-The Dark Knight. This thing looks phenomenal.

As if this wasn't enough (the above mentioned films are already an abundance of riches), we get the X-Files: I Want to Believe the very next week, the first new X-Files show or movie in 6 years. Its gonna be a neat to see our old pals Mulder and Scully again, especially back on the big screen for the first time in 10 years.

Finally, to top it all off, to end the summer with a bang (just like it started), we get to see the feature length debut of The Clone Wars up on the big screen. After seeing the new trailer for this, my expectations, as well as my desire to see the movie, have gone even higher. We haven't seen a slate like this since 1989, when Ghostbusters II, Last Crusade, and Tim Burton's Batman all made their debuts on the big screen. You can't deny the parallels, especially since you have a new Batman and Indy flick coming out this summer. I was 12 back in the summer of '89, and I feel like a 12 year old again as I grow impatient waiting for this summers blockbuster lineup of movies to begin. Less than five days to it all begins-see you at the movies!

Can We Just See the Movie First?

New York Magazine has an article comparing Shia to Jar Jar Binks, and basically states that the running time for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is supposedly 2 hours and 20 minutes, so the new Indy movie must suck (they chose to emphasize these two disparate points-how the heck does a movie being 2 hr 20 mins mean its bad??? Or even ridiculously long? I don't get that one. And oh yeah, turns out they were wrong anyway-turns out the movie is gonna clock in at around 2 hrs.) Which leads me to this little rant:
People, can we please see Kingdom of the Crystal Skull before we bash it? We're in such a haste to be critical, we have to trash something even before it comes out! Fans can be so fickle and hypocritical, and well, just too hard to please (I know, because I am one of them). We think that Last Crusade was great and ended perfectly, there is no way to top it, yet we still want a new chapter... so we can then bash it for not being just like the old movies. Its time to face reality: this movie will not be like the other Indy movies, for better or worse? Why? Uh, Harrison Ford is in his mid sixties, for one. Second, the look of the film is going to be different since cameras and film have advanced significantly since Raiders, so don't expect this movie to look just like a movie that came out over 25 years ago. And most importantly, its been 19 years since the last Indy movie. Thats even longer than the time between Jedi and Phantom Menace. The majority of the people going to see the new Indy movie (or at least the ones really anticipating it) have fond childhood or young adult memories of the series. Just like with Star Wars, people are going to take these memories into the theater with them. And they are going to be disappointed, because nothing can live up to when you saw Raiders or Last Crusade as a kid. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull doesn't stand a chance against our idealized and romanticized collective consciousness of days gone by. So now here we are, a mere five weeks away from Indy 4, and the negativity FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN THE *&%#ING MOVIE has already started, their negativity seeping like poison through the fan base. My suggestion to everyone? Ignore these idiots, and please, please, give KOTCS a chance. Don't compare it to Raiders or Last Crusade. Try to enjoy it on its own merits. I gotta back Lucas on this one-he's not tempering expectations because he knows the movie sucks: he understands that no matter how great it is, many people are going to be negative towards it. You can't win with those people, but if you aren't one of them, just go see the movie and judge for yourself. And if it does truly suck, I will be the first to say so. So I plead with everyone to save the negativity for later, and the only if it is necessary (regrettably). We got a new Indy movie coming out in less than five weeks, and I'm gonna stay darned excited about it-see you in line!

Trailer for The Clone Wars!

It seems the link is no good now. Anyway, I'll give you my two cents on what I think about it. I see the potential for goodness here, and I hope this doesn't suck, because the future of Star Wars could be riding on it. I'm stoked to see how they choose to develop Anakin, as I think good story lines as well as the development and portrayal of Anakin will determine the success of this franchise. I can't wait until August 15!

Preparing for his big scene

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNLuq0lW50k#
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Movie Review-A defense (sort of) of the most hated movie of our time-The Phantom Menace!

Yes folks, I am going to attempt to defend that most reviled of films, Star Wars Episode 1-The Phantom Menace. I fully realize that this as loathsome and villainous to many people as defending Adolph Hitler, Steve Bartman, Pearl Harbor, OJ Simpson, HD DVD, etc. , but I am going to bravely give it a shot. So here we go.

Ok, first of all, there is no way this movie could succeed. Expectations were so high for the first Star Wars movie in 16 years, anything short of the second coming was going to disappoint. Does this excuse all its faults? Of course not. But it does go to show that this movie was never given a fair shake to be judged on its own merits. I should know, because I was one of those fans who built this up WAY too much in anticipation of its release.

Second, everybody complains about Jake Lloyd, and how horrible he was for the part. I am not going to say that I fully agree with Lucas's choice here, but c'mon, is Hayden Christense really any better? He doesn't catch half the grief Jake Lloyd does for this movie. I think Jake Lloyd became the scapegoat for the supposed "failure" of this film (I mean, can a movie that grossed over $400 million domestically at the box office really be called a failure? If people hated this movie so much, then why did they keep going to see the damn thing over and over? You don't make that much money without repeat viewers). However, Jake Lloyd is beloved next to the other scapegoat of the film...

"Mesa Jar Jar Binks!" Ok, I can't really defend Jar Jar, but I didn't think that he ruined the movie. Yeah, he's silly, but was Mark Hamill's hair in A New Hope any less silly? I think not.

I also think that Episode I is a far superior movie than Episode II. Most people, even the ones who despise the prequels, will say that Episode II, while not perfect, is at least better than TPM. WRONG!! Tell me, who is a better villain-Darth Maul or some eighty year old guy with a crooked lightsaber? That's what I thought. Speaking of Darth Maul, is he not the most awesome new character, villain, hero, or otherwise, in all of the prequels? Everyone loves Maul, he rocks. I think it was a big mistake to get rid of him in the first movie. George peaked with Maul, as his villains went downhill from TPM (General Grievous? Gimme a break. ) TPM, while it leaves you hanging, still has a nice stand alone narrative to it. Episode II AOTC isn't really much of a stand alone movie-its really just a bridge to get us from little boy to Darth Vader.

Ok, I could go on, but I'm going to close this little review/rant with this-Liam Neeson gives a great performance in this movie, and it is hands down, no contest, the best acting performance by any lead actor in all of the prequels. Its not even close. I think that is why despite its flaws (of which people have found many), TPM resonates more emotionally, and its because of Neeson's portrayal of Qui Gon. There a soul in this movie thanks to Neeson, and soul is sorely lacking in the last two prequels.

Well, I did it. I defended The Phantom Menace. Flame away!

Movie Review-Rise of the Silver Surfer...aka a steaming pile of poo

Ok, so I guess the title of my review kinda revealed my feelings towards the film right away, huh? Thats ok, because I want there to be no confusion-this movie sucked. Big time. So, that being said, you may ask yourself-why would I choose this as my first movie review. Easy-I just watched it, so there you go. Anyway, on to the review.

Where do I even begin? Ok, lets start with the title character himself-the Silver Surfer. The movie comes with a big caveat-if you like the comic book Silver Surfer, you will (or at least you should) hate this movie. I know its a movie, and minor details are changed from time to time, and I can and do accept that as a comic book fan and movie lover. However, if a change is so egregious, one that completely alters an essential aspect of that character, well, you're gonna lose a lot of folks right there, and that's where FF-ROTSS lost me. Apparently, the Silver Surfer gets his power from his board (cue hitting head against wall). And I suppose Superman gets his power from his cape. Imagine how that would go over, and you get how I felt about this little nugget. I don't know which of the following scenarios is worse: a) the writers (assuming they knew nothing about the characters from the comic books) were too lazy to take 2 minutes to look at a bio in a Whos Who in the Marvel Universe book in their "research" for the script, or b) the writers knew of the Surfer's abilities and characteristics, and decided to change something so critical to fit a very bad plot contrivance, where Dr. Doom(don't even get me started on Dr. Doom in these movies) steals the board and basically becomes the Silver Surfer. I don't know, maybe some fans weren't bothered by this, but as a Silver Surfer fan, how could I not be? I also agree with many fans that the CGI rendered surfer looked way too liquid metal and T1000 like. I did like the voice, though. They could do way better with the Surfer, and I hope that one day he gets his own movie (fingers crossed). Its gonna need a reboot from this mess, though, and no one who wrote this stinker need bother putting his/her fingerprints on it, thank you.

Anyway, I can't really comment on the rest of the movie (well, besides the fact that Jessica Alba is horribly miscast here) since the whole Surfer thing completely tainted it for me. So, if it's not too late, please avoid this one like the plague. You'll thank me later.