movies, movies, movies
This was a movie weekend. I'll put comments under cuts, to avoid any spoilers. I saw Up on Friday, Star Trek and The Hangover on Saturday, and Night at the Museum (IMAX version) today.
I laughed. I cried. I giggled. I sniffled. It was wonderful. The only problem was I kept wondering why Kirk Douglas was fighting with Spencer Tracy. ;-) Two teenaged girls were seated to my left, and it was nice to note that they appreciated the "adult" themes that were in the movie as much as the kid-centric stuff. A boy around 10 years old and his mother were to my right. She and I were chortling at the items obviously put there as a nod to the older audience (ex: dogs playing poker), and he was getting most of the jokes. The boy/mother stayed for the credits. She and I laughed at the 'every dog has his day' line, and the boy had a great time identifying all the badges.
It may have been the best thing possible for the Trek franchise to have a non-fan at the helm of this movie. J.J. has said all along that he wanted to make a movie non-fans could enjoy but wouldn't offend long-time fans. I believe he succeeded. There was plenty in there for anyone who'd watched the original series to enjoy, but it wasn't done in a ham-fisted way, so someone completely unfamiliar with the show could enjoy the movie for what it was--a kick-ass adventure in space. Chris Pine (son of Robert Pine, of "CHiPs"!) made a perfectly fine Kirk, and Zachary Quinto was excellent as Spock. The rest of the crew showed the roots of who we'd "know" when first encountering them in the original series very well. 17 year old Chekov was a hoot, as was Scotty, and Sulu--was Kirk surprised to find out fencing skills really would come in handy on the platform?It was nice to see a movie about bachelor's night in Vegas that wasn't all that cliche. "Tigers like pepper. They don't like cinnamon." It doesn't matter if that's true or not; it was just so . . . odd. So was the Halley's Comet comment. I could have done without the weird little Chinese man . . . woman . . . man . . . whatever. But "Black Doug" was all right. And, hey, Bradley Cooper looks fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. I didn't even mind Heather Graham in this, and she usually makes me retch. The two best parts of the movie for me were Stu realizing what he didn't want in life and the 3 buddies being absolutely wonderful with the nut job who will become Doug's brother-in-law. The male bonding was really the heart of the movie.
Jerri and I caught Night at the Museum this morning. It's the first time I can remember being at a movie that started at it's "show" time! I think that's because the only preview they had for the IMAX screen was Harry Potter (July, July, July, July). Jerri almost missed the beginning, because she thought she had plenty of time to go to the bathroom before the movie started. Wrong! She was climbing the stairs as the opening shots came on the screen. In any case, it was a fun movie. Larry is a good character, as are all the 'exhibits.' The addition of Custer was so-so, only good for a couple comic relief bits. The best part of him being there was Sacajewea's response to his plan of attack. Amy Adams was good as Amelia Earhart, and I always love Hank Azaria. The Jonas Brothers as the Cherubs? Well, ok. Good fun, and it was nice to see Honest Abe kickin' some Egyptian butt, er, feathers. Excuse me, but I have a sudden urge to purchase an Einstein bobblehead.
I laughed. I cried. I giggled. I sniffled. It was wonderful. The only problem was I kept wondering why Kirk Douglas was fighting with Spencer Tracy. ;-) Two teenaged girls were seated to my left, and it was nice to note that they appreciated the "adult" themes that were in the movie as much as the kid-centric stuff. A boy around 10 years old and his mother were to my right. She and I were chortling at the items obviously put there as a nod to the older audience (ex: dogs playing poker), and he was getting most of the jokes. The boy/mother stayed for the credits. She and I laughed at the 'every dog has his day' line, and the boy had a great time identifying all the badges.
It may have been the best thing possible for the Trek franchise to have a non-fan at the helm of this movie. J.J. has said all along that he wanted to make a movie non-fans could enjoy but wouldn't offend long-time fans. I believe he succeeded. There was plenty in there for anyone who'd watched the original series to enjoy, but it wasn't done in a ham-fisted way, so someone completely unfamiliar with the show could enjoy the movie for what it was--a kick-ass adventure in space. Chris Pine (son of Robert Pine, of "CHiPs"!) made a perfectly fine Kirk, and Zachary Quinto was excellent as Spock. The rest of the crew showed the roots of who we'd "know" when first encountering them in the original series very well. 17 year old Chekov was a hoot, as was Scotty, and Sulu--was Kirk surprised to find out fencing skills really would come in handy on the platform?It was nice to see a movie about bachelor's night in Vegas that wasn't all that cliche. "Tigers like pepper. They don't like cinnamon." It doesn't matter if that's true or not; it was just so . . . odd. So was the Halley's Comet comment. I could have done without the weird little Chinese man . . . woman . . . man . . . whatever. But "Black Doug" was all right. And, hey, Bradley Cooper looks fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. I didn't even mind Heather Graham in this, and she usually makes me retch. The two best parts of the movie for me were Stu realizing what he didn't want in life and the 3 buddies being absolutely wonderful with the nut job who will become Doug's brother-in-law. The male bonding was really the heart of the movie.
Jerri and I caught Night at the Museum this morning. It's the first time I can remember being at a movie that started at it's "show" time! I think that's because the only preview they had for the IMAX screen was Harry Potter (July, July, July, July). Jerri almost missed the beginning, because she thought she had plenty of time to go to the bathroom before the movie started. Wrong! She was climbing the stairs as the opening shots came on the screen. In any case, it was a fun movie. Larry is a good character, as are all the 'exhibits.' The addition of Custer was so-so, only good for a couple comic relief bits. The best part of him being there was Sacajewea's response to his plan of attack. Amy Adams was good as Amelia Earhart, and I always love Hank Azaria. The Jonas Brothers as the Cherubs? Well, ok. Good fun, and it was nice to see Honest Abe kickin' some Egyptian butt, er, feathers. Excuse me, but I have a sudden urge to purchase an Einstein bobblehead.