Director: Dave Filoni
Writer: Henry Gilroy (screenplay) and George Lucas (characters and universe)
Genre: Animation/Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi
The Story
The background of Clone Wars is in between Episode II and Episode III of the "real" Star Wars films. Anakin and Obi-Wan are in the heat of battle as the film starts, but back at the Jedi temple Yoda and Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) are working on a way to get safe passage through Jabba the Hutt's territory. It turns out that Jabba the Hutt's son has been captured and to get safe passage through Jabba's territory the Jedis will have to rescue his son. Just as it seems that the Jedis are beginning to hold back Separatists and their droid army, the dark side gains control of a force field and now the Galactic Republic is in a lot of trouble. The only hope they have is for Anakin and his newly assigned Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, to shut down the force field in time. Then Anakin, the Padawan, and Obi-wan must work to get Jabba's son safely home to gain his favor.
Everything Else
The directing was clean and the story made sense, but there was a certain amount of emotion and elegance missing that is hard to describe. Possibly it was simply the fact that we all want more Star Wars, but this is just a tease or maybe it is simply that animation dulls some of the emotion. Either way, there was something missing that made this film fail to capture the true essence of Star Wars. This felt more like the CGI in a Star Wars video game than an actual movie. Nevertheless it did give us some lightsaber action to enjoy for a while.
The battles were interesting, but I would not call them overly exciting. It is almost as if the characters that we once cared about in the regular films are not important to us here. I could not have cared less whether Anakin or the others survived and yet he is really who Star Wars is really all about. The Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, was apparently there to add some flavor and make things more interesting, but she was a tad on the annoying side. Of course I would gladly watch a film with her in it rather than Jar Jar (let's not even go there). Mace Windu had his normal voice from Samuel L. Jackson which was good to hear, but he was not in the film very much. Along with the lack of Windu was the lack of Yoda, and let's face it, Yoda is the coolest character. The dynamics of Anakin also seemed very off. The first two episodes and into the third episode really showed how Anakin was sort of a loose cannon from the beginning, but here he seemed to have a very good handle on himself and even taught the Padawan well. this showed a good side of him, but one that almosted seemed out f character. I would have liked to have seen a couple more hints of Anakins transition here.
The Real Deal
George Lucas just needs to give us what we all want; Episodes 7,8, and 9. The story is already there and if he did it right this time he could probably finish before he dies, but other than putting his name on stuff and making lots of money I have not seen much out of him. I thought the reason we were not getting more Star Wars was because Lucas wanted to do some smaller odder films much like his early days. Oh well, we can't always get what we want. I just felt like Clone Wars was a tease. It could have been good if they had brought more emotion into it. Somehow they managed to make it feel more dry than the dry moments in the real films. I want more Star Wars and this stuff is not going to cut it! Clone Wars was entertaining and somewhat unique, but could have been much better.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 632,122
Sharon Movie? Yes
8/17/2008
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
8/09/2008
Pineapple Express (2008)
Director: David Gordon Green
Writer: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Genre: Comedy/Crime/Thriller
The Story
Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) is an average guy living out his life when he happens to witness a murder at Ted Jones' (Gary Cole) house. After witnessing the murder he runs to his drug dealer friend Saul (James Franco) cause he doesn't know where else to go. It turns out that Ted Jones sells drugs to a guy named Red (Danny R. McBride) who sells those drugs to Saul. Ted Jones sends his goons to Red who then rats out Saul because he has the rare marijuana called Pineapple Express that Dale left at Ted Jones' house. Now Dale and Saul are on the run, but smoking marijuana and running from killers makes for a crazy chain of events.
Everything Else
The directing of Pineapple Express was very good. The comedy and crime was mixed very well to create a nonstop comedy that never drug you into an immature and embarrassing lull as other movies like SuperBad. Seth Rogen is a really good writer and a funny actor, but in other movies he has created more immature jokes which end up not being as funny. Pineapple Express had a few of those jokes in it, but never enough to distract from the great action and crime jokes along with pot smoking jokes.
Seth Rogen does a great job as the lead Dale Denton and provides a character with enough smarts and yet enough sloppiness to entertain. Dale is a guy who has high hopes, but is too busy just getting high to really achieve anything aside from delivering subpoenas to everyone as a process server. James Franco is hilarious as the pot dealer Saul who is so high all the time that he really never knows what is going on. Although it was a little over the top and sometimes too cliche, Franco's character was entertaining and added a strong sidekick to Dale. Other notables are Danny McBride as Red, Kevin Corrigan as Budlofsky, and Craig Robinson as Matheson. Danny was quite funny even though he got on my nerves a couple times and Kevin and Craig were great together as the goons.
The Real Deal
Most people loved SuperBad and will like compare these two movies because off Seth Rogen, but they are really different types of comedies and in my opinion Pineapple Express is a much better film. Pineapple Express puts a great mix of crime and comedy as well as Dazed and Confused or Cheech and Chong together. The best part about this movie was the lack of nasty sex jokes that plague most of the comedies these days. They were still there, but much fewer and further between. Don't get me wrong, this movie is rated R for tons of language, violence and drug use so it isn't for the kids. I found this movie much more enjoyable than SuperBad or Step Brothers (which was playing right after this one at the drive in) because the great jokes were much more frequent than the embarrassing dirty jokes. If I have not made myself clear, I really liked this movie and highly recommend it.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 825,393
Sharon Movie? No
6/13/2008
Remake/Sequel/Redo/?: The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Director: Louis Leterrier
Writer: Zak Penn and Edward Norton
Genre: Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
The Story
Ok, so this was not a remake of the Ang Lee film Hulk, but it certainly seemed like it was going to be from the previews. This film actually only touches on the discovery of the Hulk in the beginning to get the viewers caught up on the situation, but then quickly skips to a later time when Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is trying to discover a cure for his "illness." While he is trying to find a cure, General Thadeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross (William Hurt) is trying to find him to use his genes to make a superhuman army. Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) is the girl that is most important to Bruce, but unfortunately he has the Hulk and can't see her because it is too dangerous. Typical superhero/comic book drama/romance/action ensues.
Everything Else
I have to admit the CG Hulk looked a lot better in this one, but it still does not impress that much. The Hulk "coolness" is what really makes this movie do what it intended to do. The direction is actually quite sloppy at times and cries for help in a few scenes. It would seem that they took out too much of the movie that tied loose ends, and this truly hurt the final product. Although even with the extra minutes added back in, the editing room would not have made certain parts make much sense.
The acting was good throughout The Incredible Hulk, but Tim Roth finds himself in a seriously cliche role as the bad guy. Tim Roth does well, but the scripting makes his character overused and boring. Aside from that issue, the rest of the characters work well even with Betty Ross being the typical damsel in distress (you just need that I guess).
Louis Leterrier has not done anything overly unique here like Ang Lee had done for the first film. I would have liked to see a little more creativity involved rather than the Transformers or Iron Man (may I point out that Iron Man was better) style "just give me the action." Thought provoking is nice from time to time. The Incredible Hulk does deliver on the action though. The fight scenes are great and there are plenty of mangled cars and people being tossed like dolls. The real meat comes with the tie in to the other Marvel characters. Of course everyone knows Tony Stark makes an appearance in this movie, but this really is starting to add a lot of potential for all of the Marvel movies and the way they could tie them together.
The Real Deal
I liked The Incredible Hulk a lot, but it was a let down when I really thought about it. There are things that are better about this one than the Ang Lee version, but I liked the Ang Lee version and it had more creativity. The fight scenes are great here and the CG looks a lot better, but that is not enough to warrant the redo/remake/sequel (it was absolutely necessary though to make the connections with these other Marvel characters). If only they could have made it tie into the last one a bit better. This could have made the first one better while not making the film seem like it is trying to rewrite history. I will not forget Hulk (2003) so why try and make me forget it. This is certainly worth the watch even with all of my complaining. Rest assured this is the Hulk and it certainly will get you excited about it if you are a fan. I will be interested to see how this ties into the upcoming Marvel movies.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 736,192
Sharon Movie? No
6/12/2008
Remake: Day of the Dead (2008)
Day of the Dead (2008)
Director: Steve Miner
Writers: Jeffrey Reddick (screenplay) and George A. Romero (motion picture "Day of the Dead")
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Story
What story? I am not sure why they decided to try and work out getting the rights to the name since there is very little it has in common with the movie it is supposed to be a remake of. The film starts off without anyone really knowing about the zombies and takes place in a small town. The town is being quarantined, but it is unclear as to why it is quarantined or what made the military decide to do it since none of them know there is anything wrong. Sarah (Mena Suvari) is a soldier and also a resident of the town. She is trying to help with the quarantine when strange things start to happen with people in the town and her family. People start to turn into “zombies”? This Day of the Dead only came to video for good reason.
Everything Else
The acting was not half bad. Of course Ving Rhames does well after being in Dawn of the dead, but he does not play the same character since no one could because there is no continuation from the previous movie (this is the biggest problem with the remakes as a whole; they should have gone with the assumption in Dawn and Day that we already knew the zombies were around). The zombies are being discovered all over again and there is a new explanation as to why. The zombies also act differently and seem almost super human. They can now jump really high and far and climb buildings with ease. Mena Suvari does well in this film, but it seems like she has taken a step back from other roles to play this one. She had a lot going for her when she was in American Beauty. Maybe she needs a new agent.
Day of the Dead only copies a few things from the original: there are zombies, there are people trying to survive (military involved as well), and there is a zombie that remembers and acts sort of like the person he used to be. He turns into a zombie and then does not attack anyone (because he is a vegetarian….poor, oh so poor) seemed like a lame attempt at copying something that was great about the original. The zombies look much worse now than they did in the Dawn of the Dead remake, but this is because of the low budget. The directing is shaky and the acting is only decent, but it really comes down to the lack of decent zombie action. These things do not feel like zombies. I will give 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead (2004) the fast running zombies, but the ability to jump to extreme heights is just stupid. It took away from the whole movie.
The Real Deal
This was a terrible movie. There were some entertaining scenes (like the one where Ving Rhames ate his own eyeball), but the plot and overall purpose of a zombie flick seems to have been lost in the mix. This movie could have been a whole lot better had it not tried to make the zombies “more exciting” and if the plot had made more sense. There is plenty of gore, but it had too much computer generated aspects to it and the makeup was simply not good enough. Skip this one even if you are a fan of stupid zombie flicks. It really made me want the slow and dumb zombies of the originals back.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 438,220
Sharon Movie? No
5/26/2008
Sharon Movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writer: David Koepp (screenplay) and George Lucas (story)
Genre: Action/Adventure
Story
Indiana Jones is back after 19 years in the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. At the beginning of the movie we find Indiana Jones being held captive in order to get him to help the Russians find a certain box they are looking for in a secret Military warehouse. As the story progresses Mutt (according to imdb, but I was almost certain it was Mud) Williams (Shia LaBeouf) comes to Indiana Jones for help. He wants to save his mother (Karen Allen) and Professor Oxley (John Hurt) who Indiana Jones was friends with a long time ago. Professor Oxley went missing when he was searching for the Crystal Skull, which is said to unlock the powers of a golden city lost in the Amazon.
Everything Else
As is true with all of the Indiana Jones movies the story is not one that should really impress anyone. The series is all about the action/adventure and as long as that is what you are looking for then Kingdom of the Crystal Skull should be received well. The directing is solid just like it was in the first and third Jones movies and thankfully the special effects were good enough to not be a distraction like they were in the second film.
George Lucas does not disappoint and gives another wild story, which ends up having plenty of weird character interactions and humorous playful dialogue. This all stays true to the name and therefore makes this film fit right into the series. This is important when trying to make any sequel and especially when it has been 19 years since the last film.
The acting was good in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with two great additions to the cast: Shia LaBeouf and Cate Blanchett. LaBeouf is coming along as an actor proving himself well in supporting roles, but still seems a little above his head in lead roles like Transformers. Nevertheless he did really well here in Indiana Jones and acted well right along side Harrison Ford. Cate Blanchett was a great choice to get a big name and obvious star talent added to the cast. Blanchett never ceases to amaze me with her range of ability. She plays a great villain in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and even puts on a thick accent to round it out.
The Real Deal
I enjoyed Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull thoroughly, but I think it could have been better if they had done it 5 years ago and been able to have Sean Connery in it. Shia LaBeouf was a great addition, but Ford and LaBeouf did not jive as well together as Connery and Ford had in Last Crusade. Still with all of the action and plenty of good acting Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was well worth making. I found it to fit into the series just right and would happily buy the Legacy when it comes out on Blu-ray. It is almost strange to be coming back to the series after so many years, but Lucas did it with Star Wars and I can’t help but see some similarities between the Indiana Jones series and the Die Hard series. Steven Spielberg will surely be content with leaving the series the way it is now (or maybe not).
The Short Version
Raw Score: 811,293
Sharon Movie? Yes
5/03/2008
Review of Iron Man
Iron Man (2008)
Director: Jon Favreau
Writer: Mark Fergus (screenplay) and Hawk Ostby (screenplay)
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Story
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a weapons designer and industrialist. He is the head of a huge company specializing in building the most high tech and sophisticated weapons. When Stark goes to show off his latest weapon for sale, his group is ambushed and Stark is taken prisoner. When he wakes up he is forced to build the weapon he was demonstrating earlier, but he has other plans. Stark decides to build an armored suit to help him escape. After he escapes he comes home to give everyone the bad news that he no longer wants to build weapons because they get in the wrong hands. Now he has to stop those that already have his weapons and figure out how they are getting them.
Everything Else
The directing by Jon Favreau was quite good. There was enough action to keep the film moving and enough slow times to make the story work well. At first it looked like the story was not going to have any depth, but after a while the plot thickened. Iron Man could be compared to Transformers or most Michael Bay films in that is was more action oriented than plot driven. There were not as many cheesy jokes as a Bay film, but the humor was still there in a less cheesy way.
Favreau takes his experience with Made and Elf to make a more action packed movie that still had good character interactions and some humor. Along with the directing, the script worked well even with the lines overused in all of the previews. The soundtrack was also very fitting for the movie. The acting on all parts was really good as well. Of course Robert Downey Jr. did well as his normal character; except this time he was a little more full of himself. I never much care for Robert Downey Jr., but he is a good actor and continues that with Iron Man. Terrence Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow both did great jobs in supporting roles. I have been much more impressed with Paltrow in recent years with her more mature roles. She fit the part of Pepper Potts almost perfectly. The real stand out performance was from Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane. I always like Bridges, but his hair (or lack of it) alone was enough to make him look a lot different in Iron Man. At first I did not even recognize him, but as soon as he talked I knew it was him. Bridges provides a strong performance along with all of the other actors in Iron Man.
The Real Deal
I was not getting myself too hyped up about Iron Man because I knew it was not going to be revolutionary. I liked it the same way I liked Transformers, but it had more character development. There was plenty of action to keep me entertained, but my wife felt it dragged a little. The only complaint I really have is that once it got going it pretty much ended so it could have been longer and have more action at the end. The movie was fairly clean aside from the violence so if you can handle a little violence then there isn’t much to turn you away. I would recommend this for a fun movie to watch without having to think about anything serious for a while and most people could enjoy it. And of course you have to admit Iron Man himself is awesome and they certainly capitalized on that in this movie.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 804,203
Sharon Movie? Yes
