The Sufficient, The Awesome, and The Atrocity....

In an attempt to match Jeffery K. Boll step for step in movie viewing, I have a couple of reviews to share.


The Sufficient:

I went and saw Angels and Demons on its first weekend and can say I was pleasantly surprised. The DaVinci Code was prototypical terrible film making. No acting, no story, and slow visuals. The former makes up for those mistakes, but is not nearly a great film. It's not that the material isn't engaging, it's just that the source material is better suited for reading than viewing. I don't mind reading a little history and having a story go along with it. But viewing it is another story.

Hanks is chummy chummy in the role as Robert Langdon. I really like Tom Hanks. I think he is the best actor from my parents' generation, but these movies do not show that skill. the standout for me was clearly the visuals. They never received permission to shoot in Vatican City and their interpretations and CGI look flawless. Visually it is fantastic when you take that into consideration.

Overall 6 out of 10


The Awesome:

I visited Minneapolis this past weekend and went with the gf to see Star Trek. I preface this by saying I have never seen a Star Trek movie before. I had a little background and knew about Shatner and Neemoy and all that jazz. That is where my knowledge ended. And the movie was what it should be, a summer blockbuster that keeps you griped in your seat despite not knowing quite what the hell was happening.

The story was a tad confusing, but it didn't matter because I was in awe and amazed. Damn you J.J. Abrams you have done it again. Despite despising Lost, I have really liked all of your movies. Mission Impossible 3, Cloverfield, and now Star Trek. Visually it was stunning, there were no low points in the plot, and all of the acting choices seemed to be inspired and fit into a tight puzzle. I truly look forward to a sequel with Kirk and Spock joining together to whoop up on aliens. And any chase scene where the music is Sabotage by The Beastie Boys is completely bad ass.

Overall 8 out of 10


The Atrocity:

This one is two-fold. First, terrible movie trailers. I have been to about 4 movies in the past month and for the most part I have seen the same trailers. Which would be awesome, if they looked any good. In stead I am subjected to the terribleness that is G.I. Joe, G-Force, and The Proposal. For those of you keeping score at home, those are movies about a childhood cartoon, ninja-spying hamsters, and something starring Sandra Bullock. Kill me now.

Secondly, Marcus Theaters needs to get your act together. I have a theater 7 minutes from my home and it has always been convenient, but it sucks and I am giving up on going there. I went to an AMC in Minneapolis and I felt so pampered that I thought there would be a guy trying to shine my shoes while I was watching the movie. That's a nice feeling. The only feeling I ever have at Eastgate is that I am going to get stabbed if I go to the bathroom. Seriously guys, lets pick it up a tick, please?