Movie Review: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Starring Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans & Michael Chiklis

June 15, 2007 · Filed Under Movie Reviews · Comment 

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - SoundtrackMovie: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (PG)
Released: June 15th, 2007
Runtime: 1 hr. 29 min.
Ticket Price: $5.00 Early Matinee
Refreshments: Starburst
Starring: Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon & Laurence Fishburne
Director: Tim Story

Rating: Worth a Matinee

Synopsis: The Fantastic Four are back with a new enemy. The Silver Surfer has come to Earth to prepare it for destruction. While the team tries to figure out how to stop the shiny board flyer, an old nemesis, Dr. Doom, starts preparing to wreak a little havoc of his own. Can the four of them figure out the mysteries behind the Surfer and also stop Doom in his tracks?

Review: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is a really fun movie. The mood of the theater as the credits rolled was really upbeat, as a few even broke out into light applause and sounds of enjoyment. People really seemed to like it, including me.

Yet, as with the first Fantastic Four movie, most critics don’t seem to like it very much. I try not to read other reviews before writing my own, but the prevailing wisdom seems to be less than stellar.

Given that prevailing wisdom, I found it hard to believe that a second film was even made. I never saw the first one in the theater. In fact, I just watched it a few weeks ago, knowing I was probably going to see this one. Yet, the first one made a fantastic amount of money, which is why a second one got made.

I actually liked the first film. It was funny, had some action and most of all, showed us how they became the Fantastic Four. They didn’t just jump into the action. They followed in the mold of Spider-Man and made a movie that gave you the origin story, as well as some comic action. While Fantastic Four takes a different tone in telling their story than was done with Spidey, it is still very good.

But, as with the first movie, I couldn’t disagree more with the prevailing wisdom. I guess most seem to want some kind of serious sci-fi take on the story, I guess, but I like the light and fun way these movies play out. They are based on comic books after all. This one gives you a few sight gags and plenty of funny moments to go along with the action sequences.

The acting is really good, if a little goofy. But, that is the tone they are going for and it works. The interaction between the four is the best part of the movie, especially after Johnny’s confrontation with the surfer and his power being able to be switched with the others. This leads to some of the funniest moments in the movie.

If you were one of the few, like me, who liked the first one, then you will definitely like this one. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer is worth rising up and surfing on down to your local theater to shell out a little silver and green for a matinee. What did you think of the second Fantastic Four movie?

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A Fantastic Friday for New Movie Friday

June 14, 2007 · Filed Under What I'm Watching · Comment 

The three movies opening this Friday in a theater near me are D.O.A.: Dead or Alive, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Nancy Drew.

D.O.A.: Dead or Alive is one of those movies that I will watch someday. Probably on some night this winter when it is dark and dreary out, the mercury has dropped and it hits one of the premium cable outlets like HBO, Showtime or Starz. They really should have called it T.N.A.

Nancy Drew looks like it might be cute and fun, but since I am not a 13-year-old girl, I think I will pass.

That leaves Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer for this Friday. I didn’t see the first one at a theater back when it was out, but watched it recently on HBO or something. I thought it was actually pretty good. They didn’t fall to the jump right into the action trap that a lot of comic book movies do. They took the time to show how they became the Fantastic Four. So, I am looking forward to the continuation of the story.

How about you? What will you be heading out to the theater to see this weekend?

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What New Movies Come Out on Friday, June 15th?

June 13, 2007 · Filed Under New Movies This Friday · Comment 

Seven new movies open this Friday. Two open wide and five are in limited release.

Movies Opening Nationwide on Friday, June 15th:

Movie: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (PG-13) (Read Review)
Starring: Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon & Laurence Fishburne
Genre: Comic Book Action Sci-Fi
Synopsis: The Fantastic Four are back with a new enemy. The Silver Surfer has come to Earth to prepare it for destruction. While the team tries to figure out how to stop the shiny board flyer, an old nemesis, Dr. Doom, starts preparing to wreak a little havoc of his own. Can the four of them figure out the mysteries behind the Surfer and also stop Doom in his tracks?
First Thoughts: The first Fantastic Four movie seemed to get a lukewarm reception in the wake of the Spider-Man and X-Men franchise films, but I thought it was a very good introduction into the characters and their story. I am looking forward to the continuing adventures.

Movie: Nancy Drew (PG)
Starring: Emma Roberts, Rachael Leigh Cook & Tate Donovan
Genre: Family Mystery
Synopsis: Nancy Drew goes with her father to Hollywood and gets involved in a unsolved case of a movie star that people don’t want solved. From a small town and now in the midst of the hustle of big city life, her resourcefulness is tested. Based on the Carolyn Keene character.
First Thoughts: If you are a thirteen-year-old girl or have one, then this might just be a fun time at the movies.

Movies in Limited Release this Week:

  • Blood and Tears: The Arab-Israeli Conflict – Documentary that attempts to explore what the confrontation itself is about and what its origins are with interviews of officials, mullahs, ministers, historians and group leaders.
  • D.O.A.: Dead or Alive – Based on the videogame franchise from Tecmo. If you like hot chicks and choreographed fight scenes, then this is the movie for you. Stars Jaime Pressly (TV’s My Name Is Earl).
  • Eagle vs. Shark – British romantic comedy that actually looks quite sweet. It is the story of two odd balls that meet at a party dressed as their favorite animal and sparks fly. She is a hopeless romantic fast food clerk and he a videogame store worker who has been planning a payback mission against a school bully for years now.
  • Fido – Sounds like another funny and interesting take on the zombie film. In this one, a corporation figured out a way to put collars on them to control them, turning them into domesticated zombies. Now used as pets and to do menial tasks, but one of them belonging to a young boy has a collar that isn’t working.
  • The Trials of Darryl Hunt – Biographical documentary told through footage and clips from the perspective of three people that were involved in the case of a wrongfully convicted man.

For New Movie Friday there are three new movies opening at a theater near me on Friday. D.O.A.: Dead of Alive, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Nancy Drew. It looks like it will be a fantastic Friday. What new movie will you be heading out to see this weekend?

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Movie Review: Ocean’s Thirteen - Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Ellen Barkin, Andy Garcia & Al Pacino

June 8, 2007 · Filed Under Movie Reviews · Comment 

Ocean's Thirteen - SoundtrackMovie: Ocean’s Thirteen (PG-13)
Released: June 8th, 2007
Runtime: 1 hr. 53 min.
Ticket Price: $5.00 Early Matinee
Refreshments: Gummy Bears
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Ellen Barkin, Andy Garcia & Al Pacino
Director: Steven Soderbergh

Rating: Worth a Full Price Ticket

Synopsis: When Danny Ocean’s mentor and friend is double-crossed and hurt by big time casino owner Willy Bank, the gang gets together to make him pay. They set out to ruin opening night of his new casino by changing the house odds in their favor.

Review: Ocean’s Thirteen has all of what made Ocean’s Eleven great fun and none of what made Ocean’s Twelve seem a bit of a mess. The third installment had a singular focus, one big con job, in one locale, to get back at a guy that hurt a friend and mentor. This is much like the first one, as Danny was trying to get back at the guy that his ex was now seeing.

Ocean’s Twelve had too many locations and jobs to pull off, just too much going on. But, given the success of Ocean’s Eleven, you just new there was going to be another one. Given the downer that the second one was compared to the first, I wouldn’t have thought that a third would not have even been made.

But Ocean’s Thirteen brought it back to where it needed to be, Vegas. The job to ruin the opening night of The Bank, a new hotel about to open on the Strip by Willy Bank played by Al Pacino (The Recruit, Any Given Sunday). This guy would pull a fast one on his mother if it would help him get ahead. He made an even better bad, bad guy than Andy Garcia (Smokin’ Aces, Confidence), as the mark in the first film, Terry Benedict. You really wanted to see the gang get this guy. That is pretty special to create a character in just a few brief scenes at the beginning of the movie that you want to see taken down a notch or five.

George Clooney (Syriana, Out of Sight) and Brad Pitt (Babel, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) sure have a lot of fun, and the audience with them, when they are on screen together. These two really have a great rapport as Danny Ocean and Rusty Ryan. The watching Oprah scene, which is shown in most of the trailers, is a great example of that. The second part of that scene is one of the best in the movie.

Everybody gets a little time on screen to shine. Whether it is Casey Affleck (The Last Kiss, American Pie 2) as Virgil Malloy, while undercover as an employee, inciting a strike at a Mexican Plastics company that makes casino dice, Matt Damon’s (The Good Shepherd, The Bourne Identity) young pickpocket character Linus Caldwell growing in both stature and respect amongst the group or Don Cheadle (Reign Over Me, Hotel Rwanda) becoming daredevil Fender Roads to distract Bank.

Going into the summer of the threquel with Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, given the first two installments of each, I would of bet that Ocean’s Thirteen would have ranked near the bottom. But, it turned out to be the best threquel of the summer.

So, what did you think? After Ocean’s Thirteen, would you want to see an Ocean’s Fourteen in the summer of 2010?

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