We just got back from seeing Transformers, which I expected to be extremely crappy, given that the director is Michael Bay. I'm happy to say that I was wrong, it's a decent movie, though not a great one, but certainly a fun way to spend a summer afternoon at the movies. Also, I want a new Camaro.
Holly and I saw Serenity on Tuesday night, and it was great. While I'm a moderate Joss Whedon fan, having watched Buffy and Angel, and most of Firefox, I'm not hard core, but I loved the movie. Holly didn't want to go at first, but after I promised to take her out for a steak dinner, she relented. She never saw any of the series that spawned the movie, but she was forced to admit she "really liked it" afterwards. I like science fiction books, but despise the majority of science fiction movies, mostly because they're bad. They tend to focus on the visual while neglecting the story, and are almost universally dumbed down to the lowest common denominator. For every Gattaca (which I loved) there are ten Red Planets (which I loathed).
In any case, go see this film. It's good, very good. Certainly the best Sci-Fi movie this year, as it focuses more on stories, and not on technobabble or dressing people in shiny pants.
As usual, here's Ebert's review.
I saw Batman Begins today. It's a good movie, better than all previous Batman films, though I really only liked the first one. Michael Keaton was a great Batman, because he really made you believe that Bruce Wayne was more than a little nuts, as the character should be, unlike the smarmy George Clooney Batman or the be-nippled Batman of Val Kilmer. Well, Christian Bale is even better than Keaton, and once he dons the BatSuit, he'll creep you out. You know how in the average superhero movie you get a two-minute montage that shows them coming to grips with their superpowers/new identity? In this case, you get a whole movie of it, and it's great. This is a movie not dominated by special effects, but by storytelling, and good storytelling at that.
I have a few nitpicks though. I've got some physics problems with the "microwave generator" in the film, (which doesn't make sense to me for about 15 different reasons) and after watching some of the recent Chinese action films, the action scenes are hard to follow, because they cut so much you can't get any sense of the geography of the fight. I can understand this if you don't want to risk your star being injured, but since Batman is in a BatSuit, you'd think you could put some stunt guys in the suit and do some longer shots, no?
The supporting cast is outstanding, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Tom Wilkinson, Liam Neeson and Michael Caine, add a lot to the film, though the recently-brainswashed Katie Holmes was forgettable.
This is the Batman movie that makes you understand why Batman is Batman, why criminals fear him, why Alfred helps him, where the BatToys come from, why Commissioner Gordon trusts him, and even why he has a BatSignal.
This is the third excellent film I've seen by director Chris Nolan (the other two being Memento and Insomnia), and I can't wait for more. Please let him (and the cast) return for one or two more Batman movies, and bar Joel Schumacher, Michael Bay, or Paul Verhoeven from even coming on the lot. Want a second opinion? Roger Ebert's review is here.
I watched Hotel Rwanda this morning, this is a film that you absolutely have to see. Don Cheadle is fantastic in it, and it's a very moving story. Don't be scared off by the subject matter, this isn't an overwhelmingly depressing film, and it's one you won't ever forget.
I saw Sin City on Friday, and it's a work of art. Visually, the movie is simply stunning. It's worth seeing in the theatre just for the visuals. Be forewarned, the movie is pretty violent, with enough violent acts done to people's genitals to keep your legs crossed throughout the film. In any case, Mickey Rourke is outstanding in the film, though Clive Owen and Bruce Willis aren't bad either. Check out Roger Ebert's review, and if you're still interested, go watch it, you won't be disappointed.
