X-men Origins: Wolverine, A Review

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE (2009)
Directed By: Gavin Hood
Written By: David Benioff, Skip Woods
Plot: Wolverine tells the story of Wolverine's epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe.
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Ryan Reynolds, Lynn Collins
Genre: ACTION/COMIC
Time: 1 hr 47 min
Comments: Call me shallow, but as a woman any movie that promises Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, and Gambit in a film gets an automatic go see. And no Gambit isn’t an actor, it’s Taylor Kitsch, but I have never really found him dead sexy until I saw trailers of him as Remy. Gambit was my first comic book crush, so while not exactly how I pictured him, I thought he’d do. But beyond the eye candy, I dig Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. And while the Xmen movies have been very hit or miss, my inner X-men geek was happy to see a new film. I based my excitement on the trailers and did my best to ignore the reviews before Carissa and I went. Admittedly my expectations were a bit low (how could they not be after X3), but I am also a fan of summer blockbusters aka the films that are like cotton candy. If I could see at a drive in it would be even better. Packed theatre. Check. Fangirls and Fanboys present. Check. Should work right?

It started off fairly well, the story of a young Wolvie and his older brother who later becomes Sabretooth, cool war montage and an origin story that was actually fairly entertaining. And then we get to the revenge bits which is not only overdone, but this time poorly done. The moment he gets his Adamantium skeleton it starts to get a bit bad. This is not just because they ruined Deadpool (Loved Wade. And yes Ryan Reynolds with swords makes me a very happy Smirking, and while the fight scene with Deadpool was entertaining, the rest of the Deadpool moments had me thinking WTF) and Gambit (could you at least have tried a Cajun accent and since when could Gambit walk on walls), but the plot gets really thin. Pacing gets a bit frantic and some of the CGI effects are really bad (Wolvie’s claws in some instances, the bad Xavier, etc) Suddenly it becomes the bad summer blockbuster where even though Wolverine is bad ass, the action sequences kind of make you roll your eyes they are so over the top, the dialogue gets a bit cheesy, and it turns into a ‘what superhero would you like to see in a film next?’

But there are some great things about the film. Danny Huston does a decent job as Stryker as does Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth (especially when I have Taylor Mane in my head as Sabretooth), though admittedly I didn’t think either one of them could be as much of a villain as we wanted or expected. There was never a moment of will Wolverine not win? I wanted more of Sabretooth. I wanted him to be more than just a one shot which is what he felt like. Maybe I am spoiled with films like the Dark Knight. I will say that Liev did a great job of doing the sadistic smirk. I just wanted more. I enjoyed Lynn Collins as well and Kayla’s relationship with Logan was believable. I liked her. I liked them. I even liked Lumberjack Logan.

As far as Hugh Jackman goes, he is Wolverine. He plays the part well and yes he looks very good playing it as well. And while I was a bit disappointed about Gambit (see above childhood crush), there was potential there. He has the charisma, though I would love to have more of that swagger. Unfortunately it just ended up like a cool cameo or would you like to see me in my own film sort of thing.

In all I liked the first half of the film, but the second half is fairly forgettable. It’s not a horrible film, but I wanted more out of it. As I said maybe I am a bit spoiled with some of the toher comic book film fare we have had in recent years. As much as I would love to say that eye candy makes a film, I am not that shallow. *smile* At least not this time. A worthy film to see, but I would go for the matinee because admittedly some of the action sequences are fairly fun on the big screen rather than waiting to see it on your small screen.

2.5/4 popcorns

Sunshine Cleaning - A Review

I do end up seeing quite a few films whether it is via the lovely thing called Satellite, Netflix, or yes even the theatre. I thought it was about time I actually start writing some reviews. So voila, hopefully the first of many.

SUNSHINE CLEANING (2008)
Directed By: Christine Jeffs
Written By: Megan Holley
Plot: A thirtysomething single mother whose boundless potential was squandered through a series of failed relationships and a misguided effort to help her younger sister succeed in life finds the fruits of her labors finally coming together in director Christine Jeffs’ dark family comedy. Back in high school, the future looked pretty bright for Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams); not only was she the cheerleading captain, but she was also dating the star quarterback. Flash forward a little over a decade, and Rose is working overtime in hopes of getting her son into a better school. Her sister, Norah (Emily Blunt), is still living at home with their father, Joe (Alan Arkin), a failed salesman whose penchant for jumping into get-rich-quick schemes has left the family without a financial net to fall back on. Rose may be down, but she certainly isn't out, and when she hatches a plan to launch a crime-scene cleanup business, the money starts rolling in. Sure, cleaning up murder scenes and suicide sites may not be the most glamorous job in the world, but death is a fairly profitable business, and as the phone keeps ringing, Rose and Norah finally begin to experience the closeness of sisterhood that has eluded them all these years while also providing their family with true security.
Starring: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Steve Zahn, Mary Lynn Rajskub
Genre: COMEDY/DRAMA
Time: 1 hr 31 min
Comments: I saw the trailer a while back and thought it looked cute. Add the fact that is from the same people who brought me Little Miss Sunshine and I am even more intrigued (I love, love that film). It helps that it has a decent cast and the only thing I had to wait for is for it to come around to my neck of the woods. Thankfully I have a theatre that is willing to play some of the non-blockbuster type of flicks. Yeah.

It started off incredibly well with trailers like the Brothers Bloom and Away We Go. The movie begins with Rose (Amy Adams) and her life as a maid which is not exactly the life she pictured outside of high school. No matter what her bathroom mirror affirmations say she doesn’t feel like the all powerful goddess she is trying to convince herself she is. She is likable, sympathetic and I can relate to her just a bit when you realize your life may be a little different than you thought it would be after high school or University. She is looking for acceptance from everyone. Her sister Norah (Emily Blunt), on the other hand, doesn’t really care. She hates her pointless job as a waitress and has learned to accept that people expect her to mess up even when it is not her fault. She is quirky and snarky and isn’t trying to be anything for anyone or so she fools herself into believing.

Rose’s son has his own quirks as does the patriarch of the family. In short, this is a quirky family that in the end just wants to be happy. In that way they are similar to the family in Little Miss Sunshine (So much so that Alan Arkin plays, once again, an unconventional grandfather and it takes place in Albuquerque). You cannot help but like the family, see parts of yourself in them, wants to see them be happy even though this is only a brief glimpse into their lives.

But this isn’t Little Miss Sunshine. While there are the laughs and the quirks and such, there is sensitivity as well. It’s a fairly low key drama with sides of humor, nothing really going so over the top that you cannot find it believable. And in the end there is a bit more drama than I expected. Which isn’t bad. I believe Adams and Blunt as sisters. They work and as much as they infuriate one another, they love each other. I wanted to know more. I wanted to see more and that makes a good film.

They certainly tried to make another quirky film like Little Miss Sunshine. While, it didn’t quite hit the way that Little Miss Sunshine did, I did enjoy it. They’re different films, but they both have great casts. I liked it enough that I will probably pick it up when it hits DVD. Its worth watching if it comes to your theatre.

3.5/4 popcorns

MONDAY MEME - If props were real

The theme this week, albeit a bit late, is the top 10 pop culture items I would love to own, provided of course that it is real and functions as it does in the pop culture happy world. Consider yourself all tagged as I would love to see and read your answers. Let me know and I will put you up on the main page for all to go over and see.


THE TOP 10 MOVIE PROPS I WISH WERE REAL AND ALL MINE

1. Link back to the blog that tagged you.
2. Link back to the originator of this meme, which is meGetting My Geek On
3. Create your own list of 10 propsthat you want and post them on your blog.
4. Tag 5 other people to participate in this meme.
5. If you like, please let me know that you've participated in this meme so I can check out your post.

1. The Tardis from Doctor Who. It’s the Tardis. Pretty shiny police box and even better if it comes with the 10th Doctor inside. Actually it should probably come with the doctor inside. Too much responsibility otherwise. Still…fun to travel through time.

2. Bubo from Clash of the Titans. I loved Clash of the Titans when I was a kid. Still do, actually and I loved Bubo. Not only is he a gift from Athena, but he’s so darn cute. He doesn’t do anything special, not like Athena’s actual magical owl, but this one was forged by Hephaestus so he gets a shiny gold star for that.

3. Transporter from Star Trek. Once I get over the notion that all my molecules would get beamed from place to place (lets hope it doesn’t turn out like Galaxy Quest) it would cut down on gas considerably. Plus, who wouldn’t want to head over to Italy for some authentic cuisine one weekend evening or for lunch.

4. Holodeck from Star Trek. Who wouldn’t want a holodeck. I could go spend a weekend traveling Middle Earth, become part of my favorite film (like one where I am Johnny Depp’s love interest), spend a day at the Louvre without all those pesky lines and tourists or even battle some zombies without the fear of really dying. In fact, you may never see me again if I got a holodeck. My house would be the most popular house on the planet.

5. Wand from Harry Potter. Who wouldn’t want to be able to do magic?

6. Serenity from Serenity/Firefly. It was kind of a toss up between the Millennium Falcon and Serenity. They’re both scrappy and have one hell of a captain. But Serenity has a certain charm. And of course I would need the crew to help me fly.

7. Magical Tent from Harry Potter. The size of a small tent and made of awesome inside. Sure, it might take out some of the “roughing it” that comes with camping, but with a tent like that who needs hotels or hostels. I could travel to my heart’s content provided that there was wi-fi and cable. *grin*

8. Surface Computer from The Island. Or from Minority Report, or [insert sci-fi film here]. The point is computers that work with a gesture of my hand or my voice. Computers that can be on my wall or my desk and are purty, purty, purty. I know they’re coming and I so want one.

9. Replicator from Star Trek. Its not that I don’t like to cook because I do, but a replicator would make things so much easier. I could wake up and say quiche, orange juice and fresh fruit and voila there I go. Or even better I could finally get some clothes that are just my color and size without the need of a tailor. It would also make grabbing that perfect birthday present for my sister amazingly easier.

10. Point of View Gun from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Because people need to see the world from my point of view every now and again. Who would I start with? The cranky people who apparently think that just because I work in retail that I either don’t exist, don’t count, and get paid far too much to put up with their special kind of crap. Betcha that they would be nicer to me then. This also goes for people who use their cell phones at the movie theatre, drivers who don’t use their blinkers and politicians.

Runner Ups include: Babelfish from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. (While I am wishing from things from Hitchhiker’s a Babelfish would be nice. Sure, sticking it my ear might be a bit odd, but at least I would understand every language. This would help when on my travels with my magic tent, the Tardis and the Transporter. It is all about ease my friends. ); Sonic Screwdriver from Doctor Who (It’s compact and is the all in one fixer-upper); Makeup Applicator from the Fifth Element (because I just don’t have the time or the knack); Bottomless Bag from Mary Poppins (would help with the traveling and camping); and the Every Book from Angel (all I would need is one book. I could say: ‘Lord of the Rings’ and voila there it would be for me to read. This would have been handy when doing research papers in Univeristy)

So what are you top 10 picks?

TUESDAY TRAILERS

As I peruse the interwebs this fine day off, I have found a few trailers of films I am looking forward to this year. I love trailers. They are one of my favorite parts of going to film in the theatre and I am giddy that there are even television shows, such as Nothing but Trailers, that cater to love for them.



Knowing - I dig Alex Proyas. After all he did bring me Dark City (which I love and is far underrated) and the Crow. The premise looks interesting and though I am not a huge fan of Nicholas Cage of late, it doesnt look half bad.


Wolverine - Because I get Hugh Jackman, Gambit and Ryan Reynolds all in the same film. Its my layout for a reason.


The Brothers Bloom - Rian Johnson did a flick called Brick a couple of years ago which I loved and this just looks cute. Not only do I expect the film to keep me guessing, but I think the dialogue will be just as interesting as Brick was


Land of the Lost - I grew up with the TV show and so a movie remake has me playing the skeptic, but I laugh every time I see the trailer.

Are there any films you are excited about?

TUESDAY TRIVIA

TUESDAY TRIVIA:

The rules are simple. I post screenshots, quotes, etc and you tell me what I want to know. When all of you lovelies guess correctly, I will put your name and link next to the picture. No cheating, yes this means using google or imdb. The person who has the most correct guesses will get a pretty little smirking revenge prize. Not sure what, yet, but I will think of something.

This week: We’ll start off easy. It’s all about my favorite films. So NAME THAT FILM.


1. Dangerous Beauty

2. Chocolat

3. Brotherhood of the Wolf || Liveforfilms over at Live for Films

4. The Boondock Saints.

5. Amelie || Johnny over at Freddy in Space

6. Equilibrium || Johnny over at Freddy in Space

7. Empire Records.

8. Dark City || Johnny over at Freddy in Space

9. 10 Things I Hate About You || Liveforfilms over at Live for Films

10. Garden State || Johnny over at Freddy in Space

11. Galaxy Quest || Liveforfilms over at Live for Films

12. Ever After || Liveforfilms over at Live for Films

13. Fight Club || Johnny over at Freddy in Space

14. The Fifth Element || Liveforfilms over at Live for Films

15. Run Lola Run || Johnny over at Freddy in Space

AN EVENING WITH KEN BURNS

Last night I had the privilege of attending a screening/Q&A event with historical documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and his partner Dayton Duncan as they talked about their new film about the National Parks. If Ken Burns’ name doesn’t immediately conjure up anything he has done films that regularly appear on PBS and have titles like The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, Horatio’s Drive and more recently War. He uses archival footage and photographs and I think they are great. In fact, I think may have learned more about the Civil War from his documentary than I ever did in school.

The new film, as I said, is about the National Parks with the clever subtitle of ‘America’s Best Idea’. Burns and Duncan previewed a bit from the first episode and then quite a bit with Yellowstone since we are less than an hour away from the park. It was funny, it was interesting and beautiful. I connected with it as well. The parks are a great idea because they are beautiful places that are preserved not for the elite, but for everyone. They are timeless.

Ever since I moved to Montana, I have felt a closer connection to nature. It’s not every day that you have two bald eagles hunting for mice in your backyard or seeing an entire herd of elk walk past your window. The mountains are my backdrop. The sky really is endless and I can see the stars when I look up at night. Its great stuff. It makes you feel connected in ways that you can’t feel in an urban setting. Sure it has its downsides, like the nearest movie theatre being nearly half an hour away or worrying about hitting a deer every time I come home at night, but it has its perks.

I suppose it helps that I am a nature girl. I love camping, hiking is way fun and nope the bugs and critters don’t really frighten or annoy me. Perhaps it has been my upbringing. My dad worked for the Forest Service (In Yellowstone) when he was younger and the nature vibe kind of runs in the family. I guess it made the whole film presentation even more worthwhile. I understood it. I appreciated it. I connected with it.

When it was all over Burns and Duncan answered a few questions. If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing Ken Burns speak. He is charismatic, eloquent and intelligent. He has one of the voices where it is a joy to listen to him, as the woman remarked behind me ‘I could just close my eyes and listen to him all night’. But more than that he felt like just a normal guy. He was easy to relate to, as re his films.

He talked about how he makes his films to try and figure out how our country works and who we are as a people and a nation. As far as the parks themselves he said, “when we’re in the presence of these magnificent places that we’ve been fortunate enough to save, we’re reminded of our insignificance. At the same time, we feel bigger and feel a connection to everybody else.” I couldn’t agree more.

Dayton Duncan also spoke and answered questions. When asked ‘what park is your favorite’, it was difficult but he has a great connection with Glacier Park which is also in Montana as it’s the memories made there that are so important. The National Parks are safe havens for memories. For the most part they aren’t going to change. The Grand Canyon isn’t going to suddenly fill up and generations can visit the same place and kind of say ‘Yep, this is exactly how I remembered it.’ Or ‘See? Its just like I told you’. I know that when my Dad first took my brother and me to Yellowstone, the Canyon Falls were the same as they were when he first went there. And they will be when I take my children.

I have been lucky. After my parents divorced when I was a kid, my dad would take my brother and I to a new National Park every summer. I have seen lava flowing into the ocean in Hawaii, seen Old Faithful erupt, or stood staring in absolute awe at the Giant Sequoias. However, there are 58 and I still have plenty to go. For example, I still have not been to the Grand Canyon or the Everglades. I should really get on that.

Anyway, it was an amazing evening and when the documentary shows up in late September you really should catch it.

Through the Looking Glass

There are a few things that make me giddy about Tim Burton’s adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. One: it has a great cast including long time crush Johnny Depp, the always amazing Crispin Glover (the Knave of Hearts), Helena Bonham Carter and more. Two: The use of live action and performance capture to tell the story. Three: I am already in love with Alice’s costume (see right) and cannot wait to see the production design. Four: Did I mention Johnny Deep as the Mad Hatter already? Just checking. And of course this is all from Tim Burton whom I adore. According to Burton, while he wants to keep some of the iconic images and ideas of Alice he admits that none of the film versions have really captured the material as he sees fit. This is his chance to do that. While I will wait and see how Mia Wasikowska does as Alice, right now she looks divine. Did I mention I love her dress?

Other cast members include Anne Hathaway as the benevolent White Queen, Helena Bonham Carter as the villainous Red Queen, Michael Sheen as the Cheshire Cat and if rumours are true Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar with Christopher Lee also having a part. The only thing that remains is the many long months in between (the film is said to be released in 2010) production, post production and finally my giddy little heart catching it in the cinema.