I’m actually on top of some of the big releases this year (typically I’m months behind what everyone else is talking about). You might recall earlier this year Pirates didn’t win me over, how about the latest rush of blockbusters?
Transformers
I went to this, like a lot of aged transformer fans, with caution. Let’s face it, there’s was plenty of potential for suck here. But like most fans I was pleasantly surprised. Make no mistake, there’s not much substance to the plot, but the flim makers played to their strengths and delivered an action packed, CGI-engorged boner for all of nerdom.
The movie is very fast paced, which is perfect because it keeps you from thinking too hard about the storyline or the creative liberties taken by the designers with the look of each mechanized star. The action is so fast, however, that it became my main complaint while watching the movie. The robots were so detailed, the transformations so complex, and their motions so fast, that after all the post production motion blur, frantic scene editing, and gratuitous camera movements you get a strong sense you’re missing a lot of eye candy. There was also the multi-million dollar GM product placement deal, which ruined the original auto-identities we grew up with. Still, between the visuals you could see, the original voice of Optimus Prime, and some unexpected humor, the movie was good fun. Yes, it could have been better, but man could it have been a lot worse.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
After four previous Harry Potter movies, what exactly do you go to the forth expecting? Well I don’t go in expecting to see a 2+ hour trailer for the next movie, but I think that’s what I got. Part of the unwritten pledge of creating a long line of movie sequels should be to ensure that each movie tells enough of a story to stand on its own. Yes, the movie will pick up as if it hasn’t been a year and half since the last, and everything is still fresh in mind. Yes, there will be lose ends leading to the next sequel. But even with those disclaimers, Phoenix just doesn’t deliver.
I should mention that I’ve never read any of the Potter books, and as such I’m judging the flick without any additional knowledge. I’m sure a large portion of the audience had plenty of context they could frame this movie with (provided they remember the book which was released four years ago).
While the previous HP films never blew me away, I thought they were all pretty impressive. Apparently this installment had a new director and screenwriter on board and the change (for the worse) is very apparent. This movie is quite slow and dialog heavy. Yet despite all the exposition, there seems to be so much left unsaid and so little accomplished. I’d say roughly the first third of the movie is more of an epilogue to the “Goblet of Fire”, and the other two thirds a setup for something to come later. The scenes of Dumbledore’s Army in training were entertaining, but it didn’t lead to much. Even the final battle with Voldemort came off to me as another bump and run fight like at the end of Goblet. What about those Centaurs, the giants, and of course the Death Eaters? I guess I’m looking at November 2008 before I learn anything more.
Knocked Up
The buzz for Knocked Up has been circling for a while now and I finally got the chance to check it out. The film makers did a great job of crafting a movie to fit most audiences. From the married “Cheaper by the Dozen” demographic to the “Harold and Kumar” college crowd, there’s a little humor here for everyone. And despite the fact that I passed the mid-thirty water mark, I can definitely tell I still fall toward the later since I found myself busting up at the scenes of bong hits and Cirque du psychedelia a lot more than those in the gyno office or delivery room. If anything doesn’t work about the movie as a whole, it’s that at times it seems like separate skits were sewn into the movie to keep the laughs going. None the less, the laughs are there, so I can’t complain too much. I imagine editing sessions where there was a lot of “we can cut that scene, it’s hilarious”.
The real gems in the movie are not the stars, but the cast of supporting weirdos. Paul Rudd does a good job as the husband at wit’s end, and Kristen Wiig was even better as the bitter-under-breath co-worker. The casting for Ben’s friends is also great – as are their continual beard jokes. Throw in Ryan Seacrest dropping F-bombs, and what more do you need. Overall, I put the film on par with “The 40-year Old Virgin” (same writter/director). It doesn’t rank among my most favorite comedies, but it might be for this year.
