Serenity
Rating: 61

Really? This is from the guy that created Buffy?

Serenity is the movie follow-up to the failed TV show Firefly. After watching this, it’s easy to see why the show didn’t gain an audience. Maybe this is an X-Files movie type scenario, in which the film can’t be appreciated without the series’ backstory. Regardless, I found the plot thin, characters transparent stereotypes of long-worn models, and the dialog makes the Star Wars prequels read like Hamlet.  I loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer because of the unique characters, smart chatter and it never took itself too seriously. Serenity just felt forced and cheap.

Semi-Pro
Rating: 75

The latest in a long string of movies with Will Ferrell playing the same character in a slightly different sports-related script.  Mostly forgettable – but hey – it does have bear wrestling. And bear wrestling is always good.

This is my current definitive ‘C’ movie. It’s no Judge Dredd, but it’s entertaining enough.

The Dark Crystal
Rating: 94

I last saw The Dark Crystal when I was a kid, and it scared the bejesus out of me. After twenty years, what stuck with me was the basic plot and the character designs for the evil-incarnate Skeksis. On my first adult viewing, what impressed me most was how well the animation, storytelling and effects held-up. Jim Henson was so far ahead of his time, achieving so much without the benefit of CG.

I hope this film never gets remade with “modern” techniques, as the true beauty of this film is illustrated in the making-of documentary. The level of craftsmanship, imagination and skill in the illustrators, puppeteers and crew members is astonishing and inspirational.

Role Models
Rating: 91

Wow, an actual new, in the theater right now movie! As this was co-written and directed by The State alumnus David Wain, I’m pre-disposed to love this flick. And love it I did! The movie eschews a prolonged setup and jumps right into the funny. The first 20 minutes are a bit of a let down as many of the funniest gags and lines are in the trailer. However, the last 30 minutes are epic and the marketing folks made the right decision to leave all references to the movie’s climax out of the promotional material.

Lots of State members make appearances, and Paul Rudd turns in another great everyman performance. The movie slides in with a low ‘A’, as Wain’s Wet Hot American Summer is (so far) the ultimate statement of his work. It’s nice to see him make a more mainstream film, and I hope it affords him the opportunity to make more boundary-pushing comedies in the future.

That being said, I went into Wall·E knowing that I would like it. The bits I had gleaned from the trailers, advance reviews, the production stills and the sheer amount of positive hype meant that I was going to walk away impressed. But even with that foreknowledge I still felt that I had seen a truly remarkable movie and glad that we went to see it on the big screen.

While Camille is still too young to sit through a movie at home, let alone at a theater, this is the type of movie I know that she will cherish. It’s visually stimulating – perhaps with better art direction than any film I’ve ever seen – and it also has charming characters, smart storytelling and a big heart. While the designer in me loved to see the set pieces, the artistic in-jokes and the attention to the tiniest of detail, the father in me loved the film’s many simple messages and themes.

Definitely a must-see and a must-own, as I can’t wait to share it with my daughter. Two weeks until The Dark Knight…

The latest breed of Super Hero films has been a revelation. Going back to 1990’s Batman, the comic book movie has seen a renaissance through better scripts, larger budgets and better acting talent. There have, of course, been stumbling blocks (especially in the Batman franchise) but by and large these films have been enjoyable, if not world-class cinema.  The relaunch of the Batman franchise, Batman Begins, raised the bar even higher and with Marvel’s latest – Iron Man – a new standard has been established.

I enjoyed Iron Man from start to finish. It was a fast, fun movie that didn’t disservice the original material. While it was a cleverly updated version of the character, it bent over backwards to pay homage to the decades of pulp comics that preceded the new vision. The effects were all top-notch and didn’t distract from the (admittedly light) plot and complemented the overall tone of the film. But it was the acting that made Iron Man so different. There were no weak links (although why did director Jon Favreau cast himself as Stark’s driver?) and the A-list talent was able to flirt with camp without crossing the line into parody. I never would have thought of Robert Downey Jr as hero material – but with Iron Man, it’s all suit and attitude. Who knew that Gwyneth Paltrow could so easily play a supporting role without overshadowing the leads? It was one pleasant surprise after another. The relative meekness of Terrance Howard’s character was the only odd portrayal – but not a deal breaker by any stretch.

As a general rule, I consider Marvel’s pantheon of heroes to be strictly B-list. Maybe that’s part of the reason I enjoyed this film so much. I could care less about Iron Man. They could have completely rewritten the character, changed the suit and made him half-zebra and I wouldn’t have gotten upset about it. So I didn’t have anything to lose from a childhood-touchstone standpoint. Instead, Marvel made a fun summer action movie that didn’t leave die-hard comic fans disgusted or scratching their heads. And, it’s gotten me excited about their upcoming slate of films including a Hulk revamp in a few weeks as well as Captain America, The Avengers and (the inevitable) Iron Man 2. It’s time for DC to pick up their game.

Ginger spent the day at home with Camille, so I made the work drive solo and settled in for several coding projects. For once, I actually got everything done on my to-do list and feel at-ease going into the three day weekend. I built out a pretty cool Six Degrees of Separation template and CMS addition for my cable TV client, wrapped up some revisions to the New Orleans hotel and started work with a new client that specializes in marketing a large (and impressive) stable of authors. I also had an energizing meeting with a potential client about a great idea for a new social networking project. Very niche and based on good existing models. We’ll see what happens.

Headed home to meet the girls coming in from their second play date of the day. Chowed down on frozen pizza and then played with Cami in her room while Ginger took Millie for a walk. I hooked up my Telecaster for the first time in over a year and introduced Cami to the electric guitar and its best ally, distortion. She was not impressed. Night after night of strumming along on my acoustic guitar informed her that was how a guitar should sound. Now, it was wailing, screaming and her response was to cry “Fix it – Fix it!” while I played. Oh well, she’ll come around. Bath and bed ritual followed the botched one-man metal concert and Ginger and I went downstairs to clean and deal with the Millie situation.

Millie is my ten year old basset hound. To say it in a nice Southern way, Millie has never been right in the head. She’s special and we’ve made many adjustments in our lives to deal with her needs. Lately, she’s decided that the rugs should be used as latrines and with a very active two-year-old, that is not okay. We built a new, large dog run for her in the back yard. It’s fenced and mulched, with a layer of chicken wire underneath the surface to discourage digging. We went out to visit her with more food and water and shored up some of the defenses. Then, we left her outside for the night.

This is a very big deal for me – and I feel like I’m a horrible parent. She’s had ten years of living inside, being integrated into the family to the best of our abilities and now I feel like I’m abandoning her. And apparently, she feels that way too. Ginger and I fired up the Tivo Unboxed Into the Wild and sat on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and glass of sweet tea. And then, the barking began. Constant barking. And banging of wood and metal. And crying. Every ten minutes for the first hour, we’d stop the movie and check on her. She was digging feverishly, trying to work the corner of the gate open. Wanting to get caught in the act and brought inside. We held firm and she eventually went to sleep.

As for Into the Wild, Emile Hirsch was great. In fact, all of the performances were stand-out and I’m always a sucker for anything with Hal Holbrook. I could watch that man read Superfudge and be enthralled. Stylistically, I felt that it lacked focus. Too many visual devices were used that didn’t add to the storytelling and felt out of place. Some of the cinematography was beautiful. Some of the effects were pointless and served to dumb down a complex story.

But that core story is something that I’ve had a problem with since I read the book a few years ago and the movie only amplified my concerns. Into the Wild is the real-life account of an affluent new college graduate who gives up his material possessions and travels cross country, eventually arriving in Alaska where is goal is to live a hermit-like “natural” existence. Eating berries, shooting game – the epitome of roughing it. I have no problem with any of that. It’s very romantic and kind of sweet, if naive. When reading the book, I had the very clear impression that the kid was:

1. Spoiled. Spoiled to the point of being absolutely impossible to be around. Constantly criticizing his parents, society and anyone that would listen about how horrible the world was. This from a kid who had everything handed to him on a silver platter and had no concept of real hardship.
2. Mentally ill. While he excelled in academia, his social skills and easily developed obsessions indicated much larger psychological problems. In the movie’s overt attempts to glamorize his decisions and actions, I think the truth of much greater underlying problems was ignored.
3. A general, all around jerk. I feel bad writing this, as I know the book and movie were based on a real person. But the character portrayed in the book and movie had a smugness-level that would have been intolerable. The complete selfishness that he embodied while making his trek is so unforgivable that he immediately becomes unlikable.

The movie glossed over these problems, instead portraying the lead character as being a large-hearted and kind-souled misunderstood who simply knew more about life than you and me. I can’t help but feel that was irresponsible, but it’s a movie and I simply have to let it go.

So, did I like Into the Wild? Yes and no. I thought it complemented the book (which I still enjoyed more) in some ways and detracted from it in others. It was nice to see another take on the source material which is very engaging and worth new interpretations. The performances and soundtrack were superb. Eddie Vedder’s word-less chanting and wolf-like howling really emboldened some of the most beautiful visual scenes. But at the same time, it failed by simply glamorizing the main character. At two and a half hours, there were many times when the film felt long, if still serving as beautiful wallpaper. Taking the good with the band, I’d recommend a rent. If you’re interested in more of the Alaska part of the story, pick up the book.