Movie Review: The Incredible Hulk - Starring Edward Norton & Liv Tyler
Released: June 13th, 2008
Runtime: 1 hr. 54 min.
Ticket Price: $5.00 Early Matinee
Refreshments: None
Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson & William Hurt
Director: Louis Leterrier
Rating: Worth a Matinee
Synopsis: A scientist who has been poisoned with gamma radiation while testing his theory on himself now lives in seclusion and separated from his former life and the woman he loves. He is being tracked by a military general that was in charge of a secret government program to create super soldiers. He wants what is inside, what makes this scrawny scientist turn in to a beastly hulk. This leads to confrontations between he and the military. A soldier that has been supped up by another serum gets turned into another beastly abomination. This leads to one final confrontation in the streets of New York City.
Review: The Hulk is big, mean, loud and green, but his movie wasn’t all that incredible. It is a fun time at the theater, but if you were hoping for another Iron Man, you will be a bit disappointed.
The Incredible Hulk drops you into the story long after the accident that created the creature inside Bruce Banner, played by Edward Norton (The Illusionist), that comes out when he gets hungry…err, angry. I was hoping for a movie that is a reboot of this story on film, would tell the story from the beginning. Not in bits and flashes through the opening credits. This is what I liked about Batman Begins
There are some good bits of humor, like the purple stretchy pants, the way Stan Lee’s (Incredible Hulk creator) cameo is worked into the story, Lou Ferrigno’s (Incredible Hulk) cameo and the hungry bit that was alluded to above. It was also nice to see Bill Bixby (Incredible Hulk), show up in a clip from The Courtship of Eddie’s Father as Bruce changes the channels on his TV.
The good thing about this incarnation of The Incredible Hulk is that the special f/x make it seem more realistic, not as fake looking as The Hulk animation was. It allows you to suspend your disbelief much easier and enjoy the movie. Much of what you see on screen was computer generated and it is done extremely well.
There are lots of great actors in The Incredible Hulk, but they don’t really get to do much. You don’t get a lot of character development. You get your typical bad guys, but Tim Roth (Dark Water), as the soldier in charge of capturing the Hulk and William Hurt (Vantage Point), as General Thunderbolt Ross, don’t really do a whole lot. The standout is Liv Tyler (The Strangers), as Betty Ross. Many of her best scenes are with the Hulk, which means she is acting without being able to see who she is acting with. Yet, those scenes are some of the best of the movie.
Overall, it is worth checking out a matinee, cause you should definitely go see it on the big screen. And, you don’t need to wait until after the credits to leave, since Tony Stark shows up right before the credits roll. Although, it might have been more effective had they played it after the credits, as they did with the Nick Fury scene in Iron Man. It was a good scene that hints at the future of the Marvel movie universe. Yet, what it really did was remind me how much better Iron Man was than the movie I just saw.
What New Movies Start Playing Friday, June 13th?
On Friday we get five new movies arriving in a theater near you. Two are opening everywhere and three are in limited release.
Opening Nationwide on Friday, June 13th:
Movie: The Happening (R)
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo, Ashlyn Sanchez & Betty Buckley
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Synopsis: There is no warning. It just happens. All of a sudden there are episodes of strange and chilling deaths all across the country in major cities. Philadelphia high school science teacher is trying to figure out a way to escape what is happening. He and his estranged wife and his math teacher friend and daughter head for the countryside. Yet, it seems that nowhere is safe from what is happening. Only after finding what may be behind this, is a small ray of hope found. Will they be able to escape what is happening?
First Thoughts: Does anybody really care that this is M. Night Shyamalan’s first Rated R movie. If that’s the best they can do to try and entice me into the theater, then I’ll just wait and maybe check it out down the road sometime.
Movie: The Incredible Hulk (PG-13) (Read Review)
Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson & William Hurt
Genre: Comic-Book Sci-Fi Action
Synopsis: A scientist has been poisoned with gamma radiation that can turn him into The Hulk. He is searching for a cure. The military wants to capture him and figure out how to use this power of his. So, he lives in obscurity trying to evade capture, which leaves him separated from his former life and the woman he loves.
First Thoughts: This looks so much better than the last attempt
Movies in Limited Release:
- Baghead - Comedy about a guy wearing a bag on his head.
- Encounters at the End of the World - A visually dazzling look at life in the Antarctic community of McMurdo Station, headquarters of the National Science Foundation, which is home to eleven hundred people during the austral summer.
- My Winnipeg - An avant-garde biographical documentary about growing up in Winnipeg.
For New Movie Friday there are two new movies to choose from this week. They are The Happening and The Incredible Hulk. What new movie looks good to you this week?
Movie Review: You Don’t Mess with the Zohan - Starring Adam Sandler & Emmanuelle Chriqui
Released: June 6th, 2008
Runtime: 1 hr. 53 min.
Ticket Price: $5.00 Early Matinee
Refreshments: None
Starring: Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson & Lainie Kazan
Director: Dennis Dugan
Rating: It Might Be on TV One Day
Synopsis: A legendary Israeli commando is tired of all the fighting in his country and decides to fake his own death and head to New York to start a new life, as a hairstylist. He becomes a big hit with the ladies, because of his sexy cuts, but it also gets him noticed by enemy Arabs. So, he has to use his training to stay alive and continue cutting hair.
Review: If you are looking for a quiet place to spend a couple of hours, then You Don’t Mess with the Zohan might just be the movie for you. You’ll get almost two hours of rarely amusing shtick, so you won’t be bothered by any boisterous laughter from your fellow moviegoers.
Saying this movie is over the top would be being generous. This is so over the top that you can’t see the top. That is not always a bad thing, if you can bring the laughs. But, unless you think using hummus for everything from toothpaste to hair gel to fire retardant and a whole myriad of other uses or getting busy with a bunch of 60 to 80 year old women over and over and over again is funny, then Zohan doesn’t bring any.
You may get the occasional smile inducing moment, but they are so few and far between. It wasn’t 10 minutes in that I was wishing I had gone to see Kung Fu Panda this week instead, because that has to be better and funnier than this.
The only redeeming factor of this whole debacle is the amazingly beautiful Emmanuelle Chriqui (On the Line, TV’s Entourage). Very much like Jessica Alba in Good Luck Chuck or Jessica Biel in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Both were terribly unfunny movies, where the leading ladies seemed to be slumming it for some unknown reason. Unfortunately, this looks to be the case, yet again, for Alba in the upcoming The Love Guru and for Chriqui here.
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan is great advice, because it’s really bad and not in a good way. If Strange Wilderness hadn’t been watched earlier this year, then this would have been the worst comedy of the year so far. As it stands now, it is number two on that list.
What New Movies Start Friday, June 6th?
On Friday we get seven new movies arriving in a theater near you. Two are opening everywhere and five are in limited release.
Opening Nationwide on Friday, June 6th:
Movie: Kung Fu Panda (PG)
Starring: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu & Ian McShane
Genre: Animated Family Comedy
Synopsis: A panda that works in a noodle shop dreams of one day becoming a kung-fu master. Out of nowhere he gets a chance to have his dream come true and study with his idols to fulfill an ancient prophecy. He has to do whatever he can to protect his people from the evil snow leopard.
First Thoughts: Has a great voice cast and the kids will probably get a kick out of it, but I just have never been into big screen animated movies. Loved watching cartoons on TV as a kid. Also available in an IMAX version.
Movie: You Don’t Mess With the Zohan (PG-13) (Read Review)
Starring: Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson & Lainie Kazan
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: A legendary Israeli commando is tired of all the fighting in his country and decides to fake his own death and head to New York to start a new life, as a hairstylist. He becomes a big hit with the ladies, because of his sexy cuts, but it also gets him noticed by enemy Arabs. So, he has to use his training to stay alive and continue cutting hair.
First Thoughts: I usually like Adam Sandler movies, but this one just looks incredible stupid. Yet, it’s what I will be watching this Friday.
Movies in Limited Release:
- Miss Conception - Romantic comedy starring Heather Graham.
- Mongol - Historical epic about Temudgin.
- Mother of Tears: The Third Mother - Supernatural horror about urns, coffins being unearthed, and witches in Rome.
- The Promotion - Comedy starring Seann William Scott, John C. Reilly & Jenna Fischer about two guys trying for the same promotion and anything goes. This is the movie I would like to see this Friday, but it isn’t playing anywhere near me.
- When Did You Last See Your Father? - Colin First as a poet that goes to visit his dying father and remembers what he used to be like.
For New Movie Friday there are two new movies to choose from this week. They are Kung Fu Panda and You Don’t Mess With the Zohan. What new movie looks good to you this week?
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