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September 30, 2006
Blockbusters shmockbusters.
So this weekend marks the official start of the fall movie schedule. Summer is over, so now it's time for the, uh... fall blockbusters? That doesn't sound right. Anyway, I guess that means it's time to write about the summer blockbusters? Actually, this is less about blockbusters (I never got around to Pirates... although that was sort of on purpose), and more just about all the various movies I've seen to catch things up. So yes, a bunch of mini-reviews:
X-Men 3: Besides being the worst movie-going experience of my entire life— by leaps and bounds, I might add— "X-Men 3" was also easily the worst film in the X-Men franchise. It was too short, had too much going on, had no cohesive message… and, ummm, other stuff, but suffice it to say, it's definitely the weakest link in the chain. Although contrary to Megan's analysis, I'm not entirely sure it's Brett Ratner's fault. I mean, he certainly didn't help matters, but he did a fair enough job emulating Bryan Singer's style… I think the fault mostly lies in the script. But apparently all that doesn't matter, because this one outgrossed both of the other X-flicks. $157 domestically for the first one, $215 for X2, and now X-Men 3 stands at $234. What is wrong with you people? Wait, crap, I'm one of those people. Balls. Oh, one more thing... big ups (yes, big ups) to Shohreh Aghdashloo. Almost as good of a random cameo as Troi had in "Crash."
Superman Returns: The better of two superhero flicks this summer. And this one was even directed by Bryan Singer. "Superman Returns" exists in a bizarre (Bizarro?) world where it's not a direct sequel to the previous installments, but it takes place directly after the events of first two Superman movies. Singer chose to write off the third and fourth Christopher Reeve superflicks like they didn't exist and has instead chosen to make a real third movie. I guess it's kinda like the Joel Schumacher Batman movies; in that it's not a relaunch of the franchise, but a continuation with new people. Only Bryan Singer's Superman isn't totally gay like Joel Schumacher's Batman. None of this matters though, really, since it didn't do nearly as well as anticipated (despite me seeing it twice— once in IMAX 3D— and Megan seeing it five times) (five times!). How poorly did it do, you ask? Well, let's just say "Little Man" bumped it out of its number one slot. Again, I ask you, what is wrong with America?
Cars: When I first heard about "Cars," I really thought Pixar had finally lost it. I thought they were pandering to the South, to the NASCAR crowd, and it was gonna completely suck ass. Turns out I was only partially right. It's definitely cashing in on the popularity of NASCAR, and it's definitely not my favorite Pixar movie, but it's also definitely enjoyable for non-NASCAR fans, and still a pretty decent flick on its own. I must admit however, that I'm a sucker for 50's post-WWII nostalgia bullshit, and this movie is brimming with it, so perhaps I'm a little impartial. That said, even taking out the 50's-ness, it's still better than "Monsters Inc." and probably "A Bug's Life" as well. So there's that.
Renaissance: See the trailer, it's better than the movie itself, but the trailer is fucking awesome. Somehow— and I'm not sure how this is possible— it takes the look-and-feel of "Sin City" and takes it a step further. Unfortunately, the plot is a little retarded, and it's French... so it's got two strikes against it. But it doesn't totally strike out... catch it on video. Or just watch the trailer.
A Scanner Darkly: Whereas "Renaissance" is all style and no substance, "A Scanner Darkly" somehow manages to be both completely style and completely substance simultaneously. Seriously, this flick is crazy. I haven't had such a long post-movie-going discussion about a flick in a long time. It's a total mind trip, and while it certainly could have been done without all the rotoscoping madness, the animation just makes the whole thing that much more surreal. Philip K. Dick is the man, and Richard Linklater has an amazing range as a director. Oh, and Robert Downey Jr. and Woody Harrelson should probably have a sitcom together if they ever need drug money later in life. Comic gold.
The Science of Sleep: Even Frenchier than "Renaissance," but it doesn't lose any points for being so this time. It would be impossible to top "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"— and I think Michel Gondry knows that— but it doesn't stop him from trying... and trying all by himself at that. No Charlie Kaufman helping out this time, and sadly it shows. Actually, I shouldn't say shows, because the film itself is gorgeous... it's the plot that was lacking. Still good though, and extremely charming. And to top it off, the day after I saw it, I hit up Deitch Gallery, and I got to see all sorts of props from the film. Awesome.
The Illusionist: While it was no "Ultraviolet," "The Illusionist" pretty much sucked ass. Now I'm generally a re-re when it comes to plot twists and movie mysteries and whatnot, but this was just pathetic. Anyone who didn't see the entire movie coming all along is a super-re. Edward Norton, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Little Miss Sunshine: Everything you've heard about this movie is true. First and foremost, it's hilarious. After that, though, it's also perfectly cast. Greg Kinnear is great, as is Steve Carell. Toni Collette and Paul Dano also do a great job, but neither of them have a lot to do. The real standouts for me are Abigail Breslin and Alan Arkin. They're both fantastic, and really set the movie over. Bill Murray was apparently supposed to play Steve Carell's character at one point, but I feel like that would have been too much of a good thing. Anyway, yes, great movie.
Wordplay: This is gonna sound weird, but "Wordplay," the documentary about crossword puzzles... a movie about people filling little boxes with letters... you know, the one... was my favorite movie of the summer. Mutants, Men of Steel, French people, Little Miss Sunshines, hell, even Keanu, all pale in comparison. I'm not sure why I liked it so much... maybe it's because a dude from RPI plays a prominent role in the film, maybe because Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart show up and they're both left-handed, but I think the main reason is because crossword puzzles are awesome. I didn't know this going into the film, but I'm quite certain now. It takes incredible skill to design them, and it takes incredible skill to solve them. Now where's my sudoku movie?
So "Wordplay" and "Little Miss Sunshine" are the highlights. I also just saw "Hard Candy" (with X3's Jubilee), and "Talledga Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" (another NASCAR movie?), but I didn't see those in theaters, so I'm not giving them their own paragraphs. Just know that one was pretty funny and the other was pretty disturbing. I'll let you figure out which is which.
Posted by pat at September 30, 2006 08:09 PM
Comments
Holy crap, two shout outs in one post! I feel so special.
I can't believe you already saw Science of Sleep. It JUST came out in Chicago. I can't wait. Illusionist was okay, but not nearly as good as The Prestige will be.
Posted by: Megan at September 30, 2006 11:30 PM
Um, I liked The Illusionist, am I slipping?
Posted by: micah at October 2, 2006 09:59 AM