Now Blogging on the Seattle PI

Hey peeps. My blog has moved to the Seattle PI for now. Check it out!
http://blog.seattlepi.com/reviewerguy/

The Reviewer Guy Happily Wanders Thru Land of the Lost

For those of you over 30 and remember a little Saturday morning kids show in the 70's by Sid and Marty Krofft called Land of the Lost about the Marshall family who fall through a rift in time into an alternate prehistoric universe where they encounter dinosaurs, primates and lizard beings called Sleestacks was campy good fun. The effects were cheesy but as a kid, who care. Now, 25 years after its debut, the Kroffts have produced Land of the Lost (LotL) to the big screen starring Will Ferrell as Dr. Rick Marshall. It is a blast. After seeing clips and endless promotion of the film, I admit it looked dumb, but I was pleasantly surprised. You can say this is more of a reboot than a remake, as Rick Marshall goes into LotL with Will and Holly, but Holly is a scientist and Will is a trailer trash owner of a pathetic cave ride and souvenirs tailored for the mind of pre pubescent boys.

The film opens with a hilarious interview of Dr. Marshall on the Today show with Matt Lauer (Matt Lauer can surprisingly act) where Dr. Marshall is a quantum paleontologist. The interview is a disaster and Dr. Marshall becomes a laughing stock in the scientific community. But, a sexy scientist from Cambridge, Holly Cantrell (Anna Friel) pays him a visit and gives him the strength to complete his invention that could make them travel sideways in time. They set out to prove Marshall's time travel theory correct, where they encounter Will Stanton (Danny McBride) and they get sucked into a space-time vortex, where they save the life of a primate name Chaka (Jorma Taccone) and the adventure to try to find their way home begins. Here they try to survive a grumpy Tyrannosaurus Rex, blood sucking bugs, hallucinogenic coconuts, pterodactyls and a plot by the lizard creature Sleestacks to take over the world.

Now, done the wrong way, this movie could've descended into a giant painful cheeseball fest, but Brad Siberling's direction keeps the film flowing, funny and entertaining. Don't get me wrong, this is not a film to be taken seriously, but in the silliness that it is intended. There are some truly laugh out loud moments in here. Sure, there is predictability and corny lines (mainly from McBride, who I felt overall was the weakest of the actors) but the film works and I am surprised by how much it is getting trashed. Taccone was a treat as Chaka, Friel is solid enough as Holly but this is clearly Ferrell's vehicle and he does not disappoint. I am not the biggest fan of Ferrell (especially his sports related films) but he is hilarious and perfectly cast as Marshall. There is no denying his strength as a comedic actor. Land of the Lost is much better than its given credit for. If you like the TV show, you will really enjoy this version and even if you never saw the show before, you will have fun. Give it a chance. I rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars and is now playing in a theater near you.

The Reviewer Gets Dragged to Hell

Drag Me to Hell written and directed by Sam Raimi is to put it bluntly...Awful. I have to say that when I heard Sam Raimi was taking a break from Spider Man to go back to directing his first true horror film since Army of Darkness, I was looking forward to it. Then when I saw the trailers and now the film, I feel like telling Sam to stick, with Spider Man for now because he's lost his horror movie directing edge.

A tale of bad things happen to good people is taken to the extreme when a sweet, innocent loan officer Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) fails to give an extension on a mortgage to a decrepit gypsy woman Sylvia Ganush (Lorna Raver), Mrs Ganush decides to put a hex on sweet little Christine whereby a demon will come to...you know, the title gives it away, unless she can find a way to reverse the curse. She sets out doing this with the help from her ever so accommodating boyfriend Clay Dalton (Justin Long) and a psychic medium Rham Jas (Dileep Rao).

The film is boring, full of horror cliches that are not scary and the laughs are not that funny. There is one scene featuring embalming fluid that was pretty funny, I'll give it that. The key ingredient missing in this film was Bruce Campbell not having a cameo, which would've provided needed comic relief. The acting is sorely lacking. Alison Lohman just doesn't live truthfully under any of the given and imaginary circumstances that befall her. She certainly didn't have a feeling about what was happening to her. Don't get me started on Justin Long. He simply looks clueless and I am just not sure why he is so popular. He looks like he is sleep walking through the film. I will say that Dileep Rao brings some sort of depth to his character as the medium and there are times when I felt something from him. Lorna Raver does a good job as the hexing gypsy woman but unfortunately neither she nor Dileep can save the film.

As for Sam Raimi, I was expecting more from the horror maven. This is a boring and sloppy film. I felt cheated. He essentially rigs up a lot of the same cheap gimmicks from the Evil Dead series into this mind numbing story. It was disappointing because it feels like Sam just needed something to do while waiting to make Spider Man 4. If you are a fan of mainstream horror that lacks any depth or thrills than this is the film for you. Otherwise, save your money. I give Drag Me to Hell 1 out of 5 stars. It is currently playing at a theater near you.

The Reviewer Takes On Terminator: Salvation

Another summer blockbuster is upon us with McG's Terminator Salvation. A prequel set in the future to the Terminator series. To those familiar with the Terminator story, the film takes place in 2018, years after the military computer system called Skynet has become self aware. Having deemed humans a threat and in what humans call Judgement Day, Skynet launches a nuclear assault wiping out most of mankind. The rest are hunted by machines called Terminators. However, there is hope for mankind in the form of the legendary resistance fighter, John Connor(Christian Bale). The film centers around the resistance to the machines. Connor is tasked with finding a teenage Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin, who is our hero from the first Terminator who, as you recall, traveled back in time to save John's mother Sarah Connor) who, like Connor is targeted for execution. Into the mix is a mysterious "man" called Marcus, who in 2003 was executed but donated his body to Cyberdyne Systems (and for those Terminator fanboys and girls, we know who Cyberdyne is) and resurfaces after 15 years. But is he friend or foe? It is a race against time for the resistance against the dreaded machines.

Now, I'm a huge fan of the Terminator series, except for the terrible TV show. I had always been curious about what a film would be like that explored the time of John Connor taking on the machines in the future. However, I was skeptical when I heard McG would be the one to show us this future. But, he does a pretty decent job. The action is really good and the effects are fantastic. The first half of the film is exciting and keeps your interest. Unfortunately, it cannot sustain itself as holes in the plot become apparent and there is suspension of disbelief that is just too unbelievable to the point of laughable. There are some clever references to the previous Terminator films and a very special surprise in store. You will recognize the catch phrases, although one made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger is force fed into the dialogue that it is just too contrived.

As for the acting, a lot has been made of Christian Bale's meltdown on the set that became viral several months ago and I for one have been very critical of Mr. Bale for doing that. But, he does a good job as John Connor. He did not play him with any Hollywood swagger, but a believable soldier who is in a very tough spot, he is reminiscent of the way Michael Biehn portrayed Reese in the first Terminator. All business. But, Bale does it with more finesse and frankly is a better actor. He was living out his imaginary circumstance with truthfulness and is effective. Anton Yelchin, (certainly has a good agent, getting the job as Reese and also portraying Chekov in Star Trek) does an adequate job as Reese but is fairly forgettable. Sam Worthington as Marcus is a worthy partner for Bale and they seemed to play off each other fairly well. Rounding out the cast are veterans, Helena Bonham Carter and Michael Ironside who also do a good job in their respective limited roles.

Overall, this is a so so film with great action sequences. I give Terminator Salvation 2.5 out of 5 stars and is currently playing at a theater near you.

The Reviewer Is Collaborating with Valkyrie

Valkyrie, available this week on DVD and Blu-Ray is based on actual events concerning a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the height of WWII by his own officers. Bryan Singer's film is a fast paced suspenseful thriller that feels like a plot from Mission Impossible. The star studded film keeps the action going and even intriguing even for those that know the history of the failed assassination attempt. However, it's not enough to try to kill Hitler but you also have to plan to take over the government and here is where some of the finer scenes of the film take place in the frenetic chase between the conspirators and the loyal Nazi party members eager to stamp out the traitors. The film does a good job of being clear as to why these particular men wanted to overthrow the Nazi regime and restore Germany's tattered reputation in the world.

The main problem for me is the lack of German accents or language in the film. We are basically seeing the whole internal battle of German soldiers/politicians and their Nazi counterparts all played by mostly British and American actors, led by Tom Cruise as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. Now, a lot of negative feedback has been given about Mr. Cruise's performance and I cannot disagree with a lot of it. He appeared to be a boy surrounded by men and was certainly not the strongest actor of any scene he was in when compared with Kenneth Branaugh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson and Terence Stamp. Ok, he was better than Eddie Izzard, but not by much. He seemed to just be reciting his lines with no connection or feeling behind them and when feeling did come out, it felt forced and rarely could I feel him having clarity about the person he was portraying, who happens to be a German hero. All these fine veteran actors were living out their circumstances meaningfully. I was not impressed by the few lines of German spoken by Mr. Cruise at the opening of the film but then we hear good old English the rest of the way. I mean why bother? There wasn't even any German accents, with the exception of two; David Bamber as Hitler and Thomas Kretschmann as Major Otto van Remer.

Aside, from that, this is a good film that is worth seeing. The writing was crisp and engaging, while Bryan Singer's direction was sure and confident. It's a pity that Tom Cruise could not catapult this film to be great, but then again, that is a rare occurrence. I give Valkyrie 3 out of 5 stars.

The Reviewer Conjured Angels and Demons

The somewhat anticipated sequel to The DaVinci Code; Ron Howard's Angels and Demons has arrived and all I can say out of the shoot is...I'm not impressed.
The story based on Dan Brown's best selling novel is actually a prequel to The DaVinci Code but the filmmakers decide to make it a sequel and add a couple of glib references to DaVinci lest we should forget that whole controversial plot.
Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, who is called upon by the Vatican to uncover a supposed plot by the secret society and Catholic hatin' Illuminati. Apparently, they are back and ready for revenge. The story takes place amidst the death of the Pope and the successor process known as the Conclave. What transpires in the tedious 138 minutes is a whirlwind of Wikipedia references and jaunts into Vatican archives and catacombs in a race against time to stop a killer and to prevent a cataclysmic event. Who else would you call but a symbologist to solve the case? The film like it's predecessor is replete with intrigue, betrayal and pseudo history. However, unlike the DaVinci Code, which the entire Christian world was dead set against, I did not feel this was an anti-Catholic film as many Catholic spokespersons would lead you to believe. Sure there are references about the Catholic Churchs' long history that are not too flattering but I didn't find the overall message to be negative, just fear based.

The film left me feeling flat and bored. The action is manufactured and the acting, uninspired. Tom Hanks looked a lot like he was going through the motions, waiting for the film to end. For a guy who was racing against time, he seemed to forget a lot about how much of a hurry he was in. In acting parlance, this made his activity less meaningful & unimportant which leads us to not care about his success in the end. At times, his acting chops shone brightly, but they were quite few and far between. Ewan McGregor plays Camerlengo Patrick McKenna who is essentially the Pope's assistant. I felt like he wanted to have a strong feeling about what he was saying but it didn't come across that way. Stellan Skarsgard who plays Commander Richter played it close to the vest and with the right amount of authority but little else. Ayelet Zurer plays scientist Vittoria Vetra. She didn't connect with Hanks at all, it was an awkward relationship. However, she actually had a fleeting moment of connection with Ewan. Armin Mueller-Stahl plays Cardinal Strauss with his usual cold, calculating control. Lastly, Nikolaj Lie Kaas is the Assassin and talk about someone with no clarity about his character at all. He had no feeling about the what and why about doing what he was doing. It was quite annoying.

The screenplay by David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman is full of forced historical references to show how smart they are but there is no substance to the words. Ron Howard's direction is fundamentally fine but he gives us a film that ultimately lacks depth or excitement. It's just flat. I did enjoy the Cinematography and really loved seeing the art and sculpture of Vatican City and Rome, especially showcasing Bernini's Ecstasy of St. Teresa.

Overall, Angels and Demons is a contrived, plodding film that has no heart but features a hopeful message. I give the film 2 out of 5 stars and is currently playing at a theater near you.

The Reviewer Goes to Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Those incorrigible Vampires and Lycans (werewolves) are back for the 3rd installment in the Underworld series, Rise of the Lycans; out this week on DVD and Blu Ray. This time it's a prequel to see what started the war in the first place. Fans of the series will no doubt be pleased with the result, especially if you're an adolescent boy (man if I was 13 I would've rocked this film). This installment is kind of like Romeo and Juliet meets Spartacus. All you need to know of the story is this. In the Dark Ages, the Vampire Coven leader Viktor (Bill Nighy) finds the first human born werewolf hybrid Lycan child, who he called Lucian (Michael Sheen) and raised him as a slave to create more hybrids for labor purposes (I mean, a vampire can’t get his nails dirty building castles now can he) and to serve as protectors of the Vampires from the dreaded pure blood Lycans. Now, Viktor has a rebellious daughter, Sonja (Rhona Mitra) and the 2 fall in love and the star crossed lovers have a clandestine affair and after a piece of nasty business by Victor towards Lucian, she helps slave Lucian escape to dire consequences from dear old daddy. But not before Lucian inspires his fellow slaves to revolt. Meaning, the war is on.
The whole film is pretty anti-climactic because in the first Underworld, the whole origin of the war was explained to us. We are just witnessing what transpired. If you are new to the Underworld series. You could simply start by watching this film and then go back to Underworld. The choice is yours.

Aside from the overly predictability and clichés, the film has a plethora of battle scenes which still feature Matrix like choreography mixed with Lord of the Rings style combat. In a word, it’s unoriginal. The cgi effects of the werewolves are laughable in there simplicity. As for the acting. Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy reprise their roles from the first film as Lucian and Victor. Michael Sheen does a pretty good job again as Lucian. He has clearly gone onto bigger and better things but he took the role seriously and still brought clarity and emotion to the character, especially when it came to whom Sonja and Viktor were to him. Bill Nighy, on the other hand was more over the top than he was in the original and at times becomes silly when he would throw a fit. I also didn’t feel he had any connection to his fellow cast, especially the relationship with his daughter Sonja. Which leads me to Rhona Mitra. She is a strikingly beautiful woman (the Director of Photography must surely have been smitten, judging from all the pretty close ups of her). But, they pretty much tried to make her be a clone of Selene (Kate Beckinsale’s role in the first 2 films) and she did not do a good job. Try as she might, I didn’t believe her relationship with either her father or Lucian and therefore didn’t feel any connection to her at all..
Overall, Director Patrick Tatopoulos gives us a faithful prequel in the Underworld series and considering they made a profit more stories in the Underworld series are likely to follow. I give Underworld: Rise of the Lycans 2 out of 5 stars.

The Reviewer Beames Up for Star Trek

The eagerly anticipated reboot of the the Star Trek series finally has arrived with (technically the 11th film in the series) the self titled Star Trek by the popular new action/drama wunderkind JJ Abrams at the helm. In full disclosure I need to point out that I have been a huge Star Trek fan (mainly Next Generation) for a long time. When I heard they wanted to give a much needed jump start to the franchise by making a prequel, I was skeptical. I mean, c'mon, do we really need to see a movie of Kirk and Spock Go to Starfleet. But, for all intent and purpose, JJ Abrams has done a pretty good job of making a younger, slicker and action packed Star Trek that introduces us to these beloved characters that have been satirized and joked about for decades.

The film straddles the two worlds of hardcore Trekkies and non Trekkies alike by exploring the origins of the two main characters...James Tiberius Kirk and a half human/half Vulcan named Spock. Unbeknown to them, they share a common bond of family tragedy in their lives. We meet them both as precocious children in their own right. The rebellious Kirk and the ever logical Spock. But, what I liked is they give Spock more freedom of expression than what we would see in the original series and the subsequent first 6 films. Mercifully, we are quickly taken through their days of Star Fleet and how they came to join the Academy. Their paths of getting there were similar in its guise and it is here that we also are introduced to Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy who quickly befriends Kirk. All this while, the evil Captain Nero of the enemy Romulans is wrecking havoc on the galaxy and it is up to our young and inexperienced heroes traveling in the newly christened Enterprise to save the day, which you know they will...it's Star Trek.

Before I get into what is good about the film let me say what I didn't like about it. Aside from the usual predictability and necessary suspension of disbelief. I was not at all interested in the evil Romulan threat, it wasn't interesting enough. And of course, in Star Trek world, when in doubt throw in a time travel plot line. I also felt JJ rushed through the introductions of the characters and giving some of them like McCoy cute dialogue that is representative of how we have come to know these characters in the past. The climax was also quick and clean, without any real suspense. It also seemed that you can go higher in rank pretty easy in Starfleet. I'll get into the acting soon enough. What I liked about the film was the special effects were fantastic, seeing Leonard Nimoy again as Spock. He certainly still remembers the characterization very well. Trekkies will love bringing in Captain Pike but he seemed to be an afterthought once we are settled on to the Enterprise. Finally, I really enjoyed the push/pull relationship between Kirk and Spock. The all important element of chemistry is evident and like all great duo's, without the solid chemistry between them, the film would just fall flat. That was JJ's best handiwork.

As for the acting. First of all, before I get slammed with angry messages, let me just say that Star Trek is not a story that demands stellar acting. However, as an actor, good work is demanded of you at all times to make the story truthful. Chris Pine who portrays the iconic James T Kirk grows on you. He embody's the characteristics we know about Kirk, a horny, rebel who plays by his own rules. But, except for one occasion he made Kirk his own with no trace of William Shatner and I applaud him for that. Zachary Quinto (Sylar from Heroes) brought emotional depth underneath all that logic and I thought he was the best of them all. The great Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead himself) was pretty funny as Scotty and I welcomed his comic relief. As for Karl Urban as McCoy. He was highly irritating. He essentially mimicked DeForest Kelley's work as McCoy and although you hear imitation is the finest form of flattery, it's not in this case. Create your own character. Same goes for Anton Yelchin as Chekov, he just mimicked. Walter Koenig. Some found it cute. I didn't. John Cho did a decent job as Sulu, we certainly see a new side of him. Zoe Saldana as Uhura also decided to create her own character and even though she is essentially filler, she made the most of her scenes. There is an interesting twist to her love life from the original series that's for sure. Finally, Eric Bana as Captain Nero was boring and completely devoid of interest for me. He was indicating badly to the point of annoyance. Great Star Trek villains like Ricardo Montelban as Khan, Christopher Plummer as General Chang and Alice Krige as the Borg Queen all made me feel something about who they are and the reasons why they did what they did. I hope JJ takes note of that in the next one.

Overall, Star Trek is entertaining with all it's faults (there are gaps in the writing). I would rate it the 4th best in the film series. It's not a great film but it exceeded my expectations. As far as prequels go, this was one of the better ones I've seen. Yes, it's is even better than Star Wars Episode 1. However, I would recommend in the sequel that JJ take his time and not rush through sequences and make the villains have more depth. I give Star Trek 3 stars and is out now in a theater near you.

The Reviewer is Curious About Benjamin Button

This week, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has come out on DVD and Blu Ray. David Fincher's tale of a man who ages backwards and the adventures and lessons that he learns along the way. Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald and adapted by Eric Roth (who also wrote Forrest Gump which I'll get to later). Benjamin's story is told through his diary to Daisy (Cate Blanchett), an elderly woman on the verge of death by her daughter Caroline (Julia Ormond). This film looks like a labor of love by Fincher and Brad Pitt who stars as the backwards aging Benjamin. We share Benjamin's life from his birth as an old man, all the way back to his infancy. What we experience is an unconventional love story that is held together by Cate Blanchett's superb work and Brad Pitt's lack thereof. There are other great performances as well by Taraji Henson, Tilda Swinton and briefly, Elias Koteas. But they are not enough to make this a great film.

There are a lot of metaphors incorporated through the film and they all seem to be centered on the affect that time has on all of our lives. I found the prevailing themes of redemption and live life to its fullest as the primary message which could be construed as corny but I found comforting. The ever present refrain of "You never know what's comin for ya." is spoken throughout the film and is a warning to us all. Hurricane Katrina is also a very visceral metaphor in the film and it seems to embody that mantra. Essentially, nothing lasts, but it's choice as a metaphor for this film is...well...curious

A lot of great special effects were used to depict Benjamin from birth until about half way into the film when the real Brad finally shows up. All throughout, Benjamin's voice is narrating to us, sharing his adventures and his simple wisdom for us all. It is because of this that the film has a Forrest Gump like quality and especially Brad's accent and voice inflection is very similar to Tom Hanks who played Gump (I've seen Forest Gump and you Mr. Button are no Forest Gump). Whether it was a conscious or unconscious choice is irrelevant, I personally thought it sounded forced and as we like to say in the acting world, indicated. That is not to say that his acting is bad overall but he seemed to focus too much on his accent and not enough on his the spine of his character. But, to his credit, there are times when he does a decent job of finding the emotional reality of the character, except for a few scenes which his lack of emotion is glaring. The scenes with Julia Ormond staying with Blanchett as she is dying didn't do much for me. I enjoyed Blanchett's elderly characterization but I found Ormond to not have clarity about her character which left me feeling nothing about her relationship and how she really felt about her dying mother. The Cinematography by Claudio Miranda is outstanding. I just love the way the shots were framed and the wonderful use of color. One of my favorite shots is in an elevator with Tilda Swinton...sumptuous.

The film deservedly received 3 Oscars for Art Direction, Visual Effects and of course, Makeup. I agree that it should not have won Best Picture but the film's message of seizing life was beautiful and especially as I am entering a turning point in my life, just passing 40, the point is quite powerful for me. I commend David Fincher, (who is a great director) for creating a modern fable and trying to bring magic back into movies. I just wish there was more magical moments to enjoy. But, I was still entertained overall and I give Benjamin 3 out of 5 stars.

The Reviewer Meets "Wendy and Lucy"

Wendy and Lucy breaks down to a simple theme of; woman loses dog. However, if that is all there is to it, it would be a bust, but Wendy and Lucy offers some poignant moments as well. We find out it's not just the dog who is lost.
Michelle Williams is Wendy, a woman who is looking to start a brand new life in Alaska, driving across country from Indiana with her beloved dog Lucy. The film opens with Wendy and Lucy playing together in a park where Lucy run off and finds some friendly transients who tell her how wonderful things are in Alaska. We then see Lucy who has a little money sleeping in her car when she is rudely awakened by a security guard and she has to leave the parking lot. Unfortunately, her car won't start. Here is where everything starts falling apart for Lucy. In a stupid act, Wendy, commits shoplifting in a supermarket and an overzealous grocery clerk catches her and calls the police and has her arrested, leaving poor Lucy tied up outside. (It isn't clear why the police would not make arrangements for the dog as well). After, being released with a fine, Wendy goes back to the supermarket to get Lucy and finds she is gone. Now she is really in trouble. Then comes Wendy's attempts to find Lucy and her difficulties intensify. Not to mention, she still has to get her car fixed, which she thinks is just a simple problem. Luckily, Wendy gets help from a samaritan, in the guise of the security guard, (played sweetly by Wally Dalton). After, a harrowing experience in a park, Wendy finds out that Lucy has been found, but that her car is pretty much dead. So, she has to make a choice, will she choose to get Lucy and keep going somehow to Alaska or go back home without her. The time of her decision is a touching scene.

Wendy and Lucy is a simple film that has heart. The spine of the film is loss. Michelle Williams gives an overall good performance but her acting is inconsistent. There are times when I just didn't feel she was desperate to find her dog, even though she was playing the given circumstance of her character. I had to ask myself a few times, how does she feel about that? Other times, she did well and performed with the given emotion that is required. Veteran, Will Patton has a small role as the distracted owner of the auto mechanic shop and he too did a decent job. His character was not too difficult and therefore not much was expected of him I felt. I feel like it was a wasted role overall. Kelly Reichardt wrote and directed and did a good job. The plot points were clear and the theme of loss is quite apparent. I give Wendy and Lucy 3 stars and is currently out on dvd.

The Reviewer Takes on Wolverine

The summer blockbuster movie season is upon us. After months (seemingly years) of endless promotion Wolverine...X Men: Origins, has finally slashed its way onto the big screen. Let me first start out by saying that I have not read any of the Wolverine comics, never was the biggest fan of X Men. But Wolverine is a pretty cool character and so I wanted to see where he came from. We find out where he came from all right, but it is not very clear as to how someone who is born in the 1840's is alive and kicking today. We understand that Wolverine has regenerative powers (only from previous X men films and if you hasn't seen those, you would be lost) but regenerative powers does not longevity make, or so I thought. He has all this longevity and can never die as well, except for cutting his head off. (If you just read that and think he's a vampire, I sympathize but you would be mistaken). I understand, it's a comic book movie and therefore you need more than the usual suspension of disbelief. However, that is a pretty important plot point to clue the audience in I would say. We learn all of this in a good montage in the opening credits where our hero Logan aka Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman (as if you didn't know by now) who's power is having his bones jut out of his hands like knives and his half brother Victor who also has the same longevity and regenerative powers but has claws and acts like a big cat and who's name is Sabretooth ( although they never say it, again you have to have watched the first X Men film for that) played by Liev Schreiber are seen fighting in the American Civil War, World Wars 1 and 2, Korea and Vietnam. The funny thing is, they are Canadian. Setting aside, nationality and historical semantics for a while, we also learn that Victor is a pretty sick cat (pun intended) and that Logan has to constantly remind him to chill. But, as fate would have it, Victor goes too far in Vietnam, which causes both him and Logan to be executed by a firing squad. Surprise, they don't die and are sent to a stockade instead. Enter, Colonel William Stryker (Danny Huston) who recognizes their powers and entices them to join his secret team of mutants to go on missions.

From here, the film becomes fairly predictable. We meet the team of mutants, including Wade, who is the most sarcastic of the bunch (played by Ryan Reynolds, who can't seem to play anything else and note to Ryan it is not cute, it's annoying as hell). They go on a certain mission in Africa which rubs Logan entirely the wrong way and he quits the team. Although, hasn't he learned from other action films, that you just can't quit a military operation without consequences. So, Logan becomes a lumberjack in British Columbia, meets and falls in love with a school teacher when his past comes calling. Obviously he turns it down, but when tragedy strikes, Logan is hell bent on revenge. Victor is back to his old killing tricks and it's up to Logan to take him down. But, Logan needs an edge in killing his older brother, so Stryker convinces Logan to let him experiment on him by injecting an indestructible metal (Adamantium) onto Logan's skeletal structure. Hence, the metallic claws are born. Here, Stryker wants to erase Logan's memories to make him an obedient soldier. Logan overhears this while underwater and decides he wants no part of it. He escapes and the adventure truly begins.

From here, the film descends into predictable Hollywood formulaic action plot twists about Logan being double crossed and going after both Victor and Stryker and meeting other mutants along the way, including a fan favorite...Gambit who for some reason was not in the previous 3 X Men films. They did a good job with the ending, which helps explain why Logan, in the other X Men films, doesn't seem to remember who or what he is. There is a pretty comical sequence with The Blob (Kevin Durand).

Wolverine is a typical action film, so I will not be overly critical of the acting but I give Hugh Jackman a lot of credit. This is his 4th time brandishing Wolverine's claws and he didn't phone it in and still gave a lot of life to his character. Liev Schreiber did a good job as the villanous Victor and Danny Huston was also pretty good as Stryker. They all seemed to understand their characters and lived out their imaginary circumstances fairly well. The writing for the most part was better than the previous X Men films but for some reason the folks who write X Men films, have a terrible time with catchy one liners (see Halle Berry in the first X Men for probably the worst one liner ever). Aside from that, Gavin Hood did a good job with the directing. If you are a big action buff, you will not be disappointed. For me, the Dark Knight is still the new gold standard for comic book films and Wolverine is not in its league and it's not supposed to be and that's alright. Wolverine is a good popcorn film. I give it 2.5 stars.

The Reviewer Delves into The American Future

Looking for a thought provoking documentary on American history that is more unconventional in scope, than check out Simon Schama: The American Future.
British/American historian Simon Schama (who gave us the magnificent History of Britain) presents an intriguing look at where America is today and its possible direction by conjuring up its past, all through the backdrop of the historic 2008 presidential campaign. This, in all honesty, more left leaning look at American history is broken up into 4 segments that cover;
1)American Plenty: which covers the scarcity of precious resources as seen through the drought that has effected the water level of the Colorado River as well as how precious water is becoming. It was troubling to see the diminishing Colorado and what could become bleak times for the Southwest.
2) American War: One of the better segments of the series that focuses on the Civil War, Spanish American War while touching on WWII, Vietnam and the current Iraq War and how with Mark Twain, the anti-war movement was born and still flourishes today. I particularly liked how Schama essentially breaks Americans into 2 camps when it comes to war politics by singling out 2 of our Founding Fathers...Thomas Jefferson (who was against a professional army and Alexander Hamilton (who was all for it).
3) American Fervour: depicting the role of religion in America's history from the emancipation of slaves to Civil Rights, to conservative evangelical Christians. It was powerful but also disturbing to go over Jefferson's words of freedom and religion but to also hear of the slaves he kept that were denied those same freedoms Equally troubling but also uplifting is hearing the stories of little known Civil Rights activist Fanny Lou Hamer and her struggles and how religion was a great comfort to her, in her darkest times.
4) What is an American? This was to me the best segment which covers the bitterness certain Americans feel over immigration, primarily focusing on Mexican and Chinese immigrants and their trials and tribulations. It is hard not to feel effected by seeing the history of the hatred towards the Chinese and how Mexicans have been viewed since we annexed Texas. I was uplifted by the story of Grace Abbott, a woman ahead of her time who did so much to bolster immigration reform. However, the fact that Schama failed to mention that all immigrants have always been looked on with disdain when they first arrive disappointed me.

That is not to say this is a bash America only documentary. There are wonderful segments of average Americans and especially seeing the 2008 election virtually recreated and how Americans were moved to vote in droves was a wonderful reminder of how great this country is. I especially enjoyed a tribute to a Latino American veteran of WWII. However, if you are looking for a pure flag waving-America has never done anything wrong-historical documentary this will not be for you. However, if you can be objective, by tapping into what is great about America as well as the dark deeds of our past, Simon Schama, (albeit in an abbreviated way and not showing enough of other good things that Americans have done in our history) provides an unemotional, sobering look at where we have been and where we are going as a nation. In the words of Grace Abbott on what it means to be an American: "We are many nationalities -- we should not be ashamed of this ; if all races can live together we can meet the true American opportunity." I give the American Future 4 out of 5 stars and is currently available on DVD.

The Reviewer Checks Out The Ugly Duckling

A charming little short play that features the strong performance of Richard Scott as Prince Simon. The production is very fast paced, a little too fast as most of the time the actors are too concerned with speaking their lines too quickly instead of waiting for a reaction from their partners. Mr. Scott and Elena Duarte as Princess Camilla are the exception and main attraction in the play. They both listen and respond to each other very well and seemed to have a genuine connection. Mr. Scott has a strong stage presence but a warm sentimentality that is endearing. His entrance is also hilarious and to me is reminiscent of fine vaudevillian comedies of the past. My only critique of Mr. Scott is to come across more strongly as a prince, because it was hard to tell how he felt about that.
Miss Duarte is certainly comfortable onstage and has a sweet quality to her that is hard not to like. The rest of the cast as I mentioned before seemed too rushed as if they had a specific time limit in which to say their lines. It's a shame it is only a one act, as I would've liked to have seen how the story played itself out. Overall, this was fun and if you have 30 minutes to spare, come check it out in it's final performance tonight.

The Reviewer Checks Out Frost/Nixon

A fine rendition of the play of the same name. Michael Sheen and Frank Langella reprise their roles from the play as David Frost and Richard Nixon in a story about one of the most famous political interviews in the history of television where a struggling English talk show host, David Frost scores an interview with then former President Nixon and gets him to admit wrongdoing in the Watergate scandal. At times it has the typical cliched feeling of the underdog-going-up-against-the-champion type story but it was entertaining. However, I felt like Mr. Howard was using Nixon as a metaphor for President Bush and wanting to put Bush in the hot seat for all of his wrongdoings as President, with himself as Frost. The portrayal of Nixon was fairly pathetic, but then again, there is no version that of him that is flattering, especially Anthony Hopkins version in Oliver Stone's "Nixon." What was interesting is how much of a money grubber Nixon is shown to be, ie; always wanting more money for doing the interviews. Not to mention being delusional, as in not recalling a drunken phone call to Frost a few nights before their final interview.

Parts of the film are a little slow and oftentimes too grandiose for a story of this kind. But the climax is a huge payoff and Langella does an incredible job of portraying the desolation, the anguish and loneliness of Nixon. However, I liked his nonverbal emotions to his vocal inflections better. Sheen does a admirable job as the partying playboy Frost. You can see how he feels about his difficult circumstance and how everything he had was literally on the line with the success of this interview. The supporting cast led by Kevin Bacon, who goes back to his cold loyalist part he played similar to A Few Good Men as Nixon's chief of staff Jack Brennan. It works for Kevin and he is good at it. Oliver Platt also plays his typical sardonic, caustic witted type character as Bob Zelnick. Sam Rockwell plays the whiny, revenge filled James Weston who wants nothing more than to make Nixon pay. Rebecca Hall plays Caroline Cushing, in a not much to do part except smile, look pretty and be strong for her man, role. However, she conveys good compassion when called on. At the helm, Ron Howard, who's direction seems a bit rushed and distracted at times, especially when he is showing who David Frost is. I didn't have a strong feeling for Frost one way or another but it was a good attempt. I give Frost/Nixon 3.5 stars and is currently out on blu-ray and dvd.

The Reviewer Revels in "Wishful Drinking"

I have decided to make a brief departure from films to quickly review Carrie Fisher's one woman show...Wishful Drinking which is being performed at the Seattle Repertory Theater until May 9. It is a riot. I loved it. Carrie is hilarious and her life is the epitome of tragicomedy but don't let that fool you. She brings delicious, biting satire to every anecdote, accompanied by simple visual aids. In her show, Miss Fisher covers topics ranging from: a Q & A with the audience about finding her good friend dead in her bed. Someone asked..."Did he smell?" She thought it was weird but she seemed to love it. She also discussed her childhood and what it was like growing up as the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher. From there that led to a family tree tracing the elements of Hollywood Incest. She also discussed being in a nightclub act with her mother as a teenager and studying acting in London. Of course, the 1st act culminates with her discussing the role that made her famous (or infamous depending on how you look at it) Princess Leia in Star Wars and as she mentions. "Why else would you any of you be here unless you saw Star Wars?" She describes the traumas of what the role has brought to her, from being an action figure to an 8 foot tall sex toy made of concrete. But, the funniest was showing off an embarrassingly revealing figurine of her in the gold bikini. I'll just say "galaxy snatch" and you imagine the rest.

The 2nd act is more poignant and darker, but no less funny, as Miss Fisher describes being an addict and suffering from Bi-Polar Disorder. As with everything, her rapier wit and hilarious metaphors make one feel less sorry for her, but with no less compassion. She has a hard, complex life but she doesn't want your pity. Listening to her describe her life situations sounds at times like the theater of the absurd but as she put it, "just imagine the stories I haven't told you."

It has been awhile since I went to the theater and was inspired and continued to smile long after the show ended. I could see it again. And so, I urge all of you dear readers to see it as well. Run...do not walk. You will not regret it. I give Wishful Drinking 5 stars.

The Reviewer Becomes a "Slumdog Millionaire"

Slumdog is a good film overall, but I did not understand the massive hype surrounding it. It is not one of my favorite films from 2008. However, in terms of all the Oscar nominees it was the Best Picture of that group.
The film centers around Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) who is accused of cheating while being a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. He is sent to police headquarters where he is subsequently tortured into revealing who helped him and why (apparently in India, you are treated like a terrorist for cheating on game shows). This leads to Jamal regaling his captors with stories from his past that coincide with each question that he answered correctly. As a child, Jamal befriends a beautiful girl Latika (Frieda Pinto) and he falls in love. However, his brother Salim, who doesn't hesitate to betray Jamal at every turn keeps ruining his chances with Latika and makes her vanish from his life. But Jamal vows to find her and save her. One of the main reasons he becomes a contestant on the show, so he hopes she will be watching. The film culminates with Jamal being released from police custody to go and try to answer the final question for 20 million rupees, where in an attempt to phone a friend, gets the surprise of his life.

There are some aspects of the film that are cliched and confusing to me. My favorite parts of the film were the sequences of the main characters as children and the horrific things they have to endure to get by on the streets of Mumbai. Danny Boyle is an exceptional director and once again he does a good job with the source material. The acting was decent as most of the child actors I believe have never been actors before, so they did a pretty good job. It is worth seeing but again, I don't think it was earth shattering.
I give Slumdog 3 stars

The Reviewer Lifts "Seven Pounds"

Seven Pounds is a disappointment. It tries too hard to be emotionally poignant and it just feels manipulative. The film is centered around Ben Thomas (Will Smith) who seemingly has it all. A great career, a beautiful wife, and a lovely beach house. However, tragedy strikes in the form of a horrific car accident that he caused (a good lesson in not to text and drive) that takes the life of 7 people, including his wife and leaves him a shell of his former self. So, he seeks to atone for his sins and doesn't feel he deserves to live. He goes to quite the extremes to make amends by becoming a samaritan to only deserving people who truly need his help. The climax is ludicrous. I totally didn't believe that even Mr. Smith (who is becoming an exceptional actor) even believed the plausibility of his character. He looked like he was trying too hard. It takes a while to get going and it is incoherent at times. I am glad I didn't waste $10 on this film. I did think Rosario Dawson who plays does a decent job as a woman with congenital heart disease who desperately tries to connect with her samaritan. But even her story line felt contrived and the love interest forced. Gabriele Muccino is responsible for this mess, which is a shame because he did such a wonderful job with Will in Pursuit of Happyness. However, this time, he created a farce that wants to be much more than it truly is.
I give Seven Pounds 2 out of 5 stars.

The Reviewer Digs Bolt

I was skeptical about Bolt upon the first trailer, but it really is an adorable film and it is also funny. Mark Walton who plays the feisty hamster Rhino and he almost steals the film with his antics. John Travolta does a good job as Bolt, as does Miley Cyrus as Penny. I was taken aback by Mr. Actor Studio himself...James Lipton as the Director and Malcolm McDowell is always a good villain as Dr. Calico. Susie Essman, who is great in Curb Your Enthusiasm is squeaky clean but no less sassy as Mittens

As much as I enjoyed it...I still think Kung Fu Panda and Wall-E were the better animated films last year, but Bolt is a product Disney can be proud of. I give Bolt 4 out of 5 stars and is now available on dvd and blu-ray.

The Reviewer Sees "The Visitor"

I enjoyed The Visitor, the latest from Tom McCarthy and the team that brought us The Station Agent. It stars Richard Jenkins as Walter Vale. A disillusioned man, sleepwalking through life and quite lonely. He meets an illegal couple, Tarak and Zainab played very well by newcomers Haaz Sleiman and Denia Gurira. When Tarek is arrested and threatened with deportation, Walter steps in to help.

Richard Jenkins is such a good actor and he really plays Walter with an evocative isolation that is palpable. His unlikely relationship with Tarek is charming, it becomes more so as Tarek teaches him how to play the Djembe. However, I really enjoyed seeing Walter with Tarek's mother Mouna the talented Hiam Abbass (of Paradise Now) who has the strength and understated presence of the Syrian mother hoping for her son's release. The bond they form is quite endearing as two lost souls coming together in this common cause. Overall, the acting is quite natural and unforced. Everyone is playing things simply and honestly which one should expect from good acting. It is also a thought provoking piece about the state of our current immigration laws since 9/11. It can get a little preachy at times, but I would expect that with such a hot button issue. I do not question the issue surrounding some of the laws, but the circumstances that happen can be quite scary for the victims. I think this is the message that Mr. McCarthy is trying to convey.
I give The Visitor 3.5 stars.

Bidding Farewell to Battlestar Galactica

OK, I'm a little tardy in posting my thoughts on the finale of BSG, but here goes. I thought it was very well done. I don't have enough space to encapsulate the entire run of the series but I really liked it. I was wondering how the set up of a suicide mission to rescue Hera from the Cylon Colony would work out but the first hour is a dynamo of action and typical BSG type drama that I was riveted. Hera is rescued, Boomer does the right thing but Athena blows her away anyway. I guess that is justice. There is also justice finally for Callie as Galen discovers that Tory killed her and returns the favor. It is interesting that the time of peace is ushered in by murders. I LOVED seeing the new Cylons in hand to hand combat with the classic Cylons. That was great.
The second hour is more about the characters and how each of them meet their fates. To sum up,. I thought it was cool that they discovered "our" Earth and not the nuclear holocaust devastated one at the end of season 3. Hera does prove to have been very pivotal as it turns out she is our ancestor, we are all children of Hera, because the fleet lands in Africa 150,000 years ago and scientists discover the remains of Hera(supposedly). So, we are half human and half "toaster" afterall. So to sum up.
Roslin does die and Adama buries here near where he will build the cabin they both had talked about. That was touching. But it was sad that Adama leaves Lee behind. Speaking of Lee. He not only loses his father but Starbuck as well. After Starbuck plugged in the Jump coordinates, which was "Watchtower" all along, she senses she accomplished what she was meant to do and she vanishes. Very messianic like. Lots of people were irate about that, but I liked it. It keeps in with the spiritual aspects of the story from the start. Gaius and Caprica 6 start a new life and his last line about him being a farmer was pretty emotional, I liked how we acted that. He really had a feeling about that. It was sad seeing Galen head off on his own. Tigh and Ellen also ended up happily ever after, presumably.

I also liked how they incorporated all the flashbacks of each of the main characters lives on Caprica, prior to the war in the final 3 episodes where it showed the characters essentially staying true to their forms about how each of them tackled adversity and offered hints at where fate would ultimately take them. Overall, well done. This has been a great series. I only started watching it a couple of months ago, so I have been really late to the dance but am I ever glad I came at all. I think this will change sci-fi series going forward in a very substantial way. BSG gets 4.5 stars. So say we all!