The X-Files: Fight the Future

To follow up with last nights whodunit? movie I decided to follow it up with a great sci-fi conspiracy thriller. I sat down and watched for the first time since I saw it in the theaters the X-Files. I will let everyone know that I have never been one to watch the X-Files television show, yet I really enjoyed the whole concept of this movie. Not having any previous conceptions about the TV series I think truly helped me go about this movie in the correct way to view the movie as its own stand alone film and not part of a television series. While this movie is nothing ground breaking it is definitely a fun movie to watch every year, especially as part of the whole Halloween season.

David Duchovny as Mulder he is surprisingly very at ease in his role as the out there FBI agent. It is really nice how he plays the outlandish FBI agent in such a way that nothing seems forced or even overacted. As a viewer I feel that it is played in such a way that you feel that the movie is not actually a movie but that you are in fact following this alien believing FBI agent. Gillian Anderson though on the other hand as Scully is played in the opposite way. While at the beginning the main struggle with Scully's role is that she is over acting her lines. Yet eventually, Anderson settles in and we truly see that she is the true opposite to Mulder with an uptight wants nothing but facts as an FBI agent.

While the story is a little slow at the start to get us up to speed, after the first fifteen minutes though the story moves quickly and keeps us guessing at not only where the story is going, but is interesting that I wanted to know what was going to happen. The part that made the story interesting to me as well though is that I not only wanted to get to know the ending, but I was also desirous to want to understand and learn all the small nuances within the plot.

The direction in this film is very serviceable. We are taken to many different locations and it is nice to not feel like we are on some created sets with these locations, but they seem to do a great job at inviting us even more into the whole atmosphere and belief in the story. The scene transitions were truly successful and very smooth, and they are done in a creative way so that we are not only informed but entertained as well.

The X-Files is a solid movie that delivers a great sci-fi conspiracy thriller. Duchovny was great in this movie and it was great that he played the role so easily. While the dialogue is not always the strongest, it is far from horrible. Personally, I loved the different locations and the smooth transitions between these locations. I really enjoyed this movie and because of that I am giving it three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is a movie that is definitely worth renting and as another side note like in the previous, this movie is currently available on the instant queue on Netflix.

-The Movie Man-

Murder By Death

I thought I would start the month of October with a classic whodunit? movie. This movie centers around an eccentric billionaire who invites a group of the some of the most brilliant detectives of literature to his large estate to solve a murder that is yet to happen. This is a great comic murder mystery that plays solely on the lunacy of every situation that not only makes you laugh not only every now and then but it has you laughing throughout the entire film. Yet one of the most interesting parts about this movie is that it is different from other comedies because it keeps you trying to guess what happened that in actuality throughout the film I was confused from time to time.

Murder By Death had a great ability to put together such a great all star cast. With such a great cast though Peter Sellers steals the show with his Sidney Wang character, who is an impersonation of Charlie Chan. He had me laughing every time he is on screen, without even having to say things at times because of his great look. Truman Capote plays the eccentric millionaire, and while Capote was never one of the best actors out there, his personality that he brought to the movie was the perfect amount of eccentricity.  Everyone else does a great job in playing there roles and they all play off each other so well.

Everything in this film, from the plot to the lighting is over the top and overly exaggerated, which really helps make this movie so humorous. A great example of this is that mystery readers accept that Hercule Poirot and Charlie Chan are so observant as to spot the most obscure clue, which conveniently points to the solution of the puzzle. In Murder By Death writer Neil Simon exaggerates that gambit. A guest detective draws the most outlandish conclusion from the most irrelevant fact, which in turn is shot down by another guest detective who points out the flaws, and then proceeds to do exactly the same thing. Not too mention this movie gives es so many twists and turns particularly at the end that it makes our heads spin.

One of the great brilliant little parodies throughout the film is that of the butler and the cook. I love the fact that the butler is blind and the cook is deaf. This gives the audience some great interactions back and forth between the butler and cook. Also Alec Guiness who plays the butler is absolutely hilarious. This is different then what most would say for Alec because he is known to play very serious roles. It shows his great versatility to be able to play more then all the different dramatic roles he plays.

This is definitely a classic. This movie does a great job at poking fun at all the great detectives in a light manor. The fact this movie can not only make your brain run, but makes you laugh even more. The over the topness of this movie is the reason that I am giving Murder By Death three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is definitely one that is great for anyone to watch to start the month of October.

-The Movie Man-

Easy A

This is always a tough time for movies because the movies end up being hit and miss. Meaning you never exactly know what to expect when you go to see a movie. Friday night as part of a date night we went and saw Easy A. This was a teen movie that when I saw the preview I thought it has a lot of promise to being a very funny movie. Of course it is always a great feeling to when what you thought when seeing a preview are met when you go see the movie. Easy A ended up being a very enjoyable teenage comedy. This movie really ended up being a great tribute to the great 80's movies that were made by John Hughes.

Emma Stone does a great job as Olive, a high school girl who through one lie to her best friend, begins to use the high school rumor mill to up her social standing only to later realize it has made a mess of her life. Stone definitely has the potential to be the Molly Ringwald of this generation. She can do typical teen comedy lead autopilot/earn our sympathy, she can command the improvisation-like tangential dry humor that has defined the comedies of the last five or so years and she can be the sensitive, fragile Molly Ringwald type. Nothing feels forced or unnatural in her performance. She seems to be having fun and milking to goofy nature of Royal's script.

Most importantly Easy A is successful because it never stops being Olive's story. They are really able to keep the story all about her with what is something that has not been really used in that the telling of the story is told with her not only narrating the film, but that the movie goes back to her telling the story with the use of her video blog. With it being a reflective telling of the story this is what truly helps the film from veering off course. It's about Olive wrestling with this lie and her feelings about how she wants to be perceived, along with her understandable pity for the boys who request her "services." High school's rough and reputation seems to be everything. Some elements of the high-school experience in Easy A might be way off, but that's dead on.

While I really enjoyed Emma Stone's character, I thought Amanda Bynes as the ultra conservative religious high school student was brilliant. Her character reminded me a lot of Mandy Moore in Saved, but she took that character moving it to the next level. Her portrayal is perfect and it allows for some great comedic moments with Emma Stone. I also really enjoyed Olive's parents and the hippie/caring parents that they brought to the film. There were many moments throughout the film that made me laugh with the interaction that they had with Olive. Lastly, I loved Thomas Haden Church as the one teacher in the school that we are introduced to in the school. He gives a great twist on the whole "hip teacher" with all the different cliches he spouts out to all the different students.

With this movie being a great homage to John Hughes, I  enjoyed all the references to the 80's Hughes movies from Sixteen Candles to Can't Buy Me Love. Really for me the one I loved the most though was that of the references specifically to Ferris Buehler's Day Off. Personally I noticed five specific references to Ferris Buehler's Day Off, I challenge those of you that go see this to leave comments as to how many Ferris Buehler references you find.

This movie I found to be very fun, and while it did push the limits at points I found this comedy to be a lot funnier than most of the comedies that get put out nowadays. While they pushed limits I felt that this movie was very similar to the great John Hughes movies of the 80's. The acting and the interaction of all the different roles helped to make this movie, because of that I am giving this movie three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one of those movies that I felt was worth the price of admission to see in the theater.

-The Movie Man-

Date Night

Finally, I had the chance to see Date Night, having a one year old has really limited the amount of movies we have been able to go see in the theaters. This movie I am sure hit the mark with so many married couples as there lives have become nothing but revolving around work, family and especially kids, with the latter just sapping whatever free time they have in their waking hours, only to find themselves stuck in a wash-rinse-repeat cycle. The film examines in a comical fashion of course, the lifestyle of the typical family with working parents and young children, and how there isn't anything known as personal time, and having routine becoming the rut in their lives.

This film ends up being very straightforward and does not try to be more then it can be. Shawn Levy gives us a romantic comedy that delivers the laughs. They keep things very simple and to the point with really only slowing the pace of the film rarely to inject a dramatic element here and there to help with the core of the story. Even with this being a movie that is a romantic comedy that do some great things with the different action shots. I especially loved the car chase scene through the city, they did a great job at giving us a chase that helped us not only feel a part of the chase but they instill it with some great comedic lines.

Tina Fey and Steve Carrell though make this movie successful. The chemistry between the two of them is impeccable and they really play well off one another. This is shown the greatest throughout the film when both of them are allowed to be very loose with the lines is when they are truly successful. Also when they come across some of the other characters like Wahlberg's shirtless character, to the real Triplehorns played by James Franco and Mila Kunis, there is further hilarity that happens from the great interactions and the precise timing. It is really a great testament to Fey and Carrell's talent with their ability to really bring up the comedic value of those around them.

The finale for this movie is precisely what I would expect from this great over the top movie. It is truly a great ending that plays on some great family comedy. If you have seen it you will know what I mean when I say the great family comedy. Best of all with this movie is that it simply made me laugh throughout. My favorite line has to be the line throughout that deals with guys and when they tilt their gun sideways, "It's a kill shot!"

This movie gives us just some great comedy and gives a message of how we can allow our lives to get into ruts. Fey and Carrell give great performances and their comedic presence and timing is spot on with the great chemistry. For the laughs this film delivered throughout the film I am giving it three and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one that you may definitely want to see and is well worth the price of a rental.

-The Movie Man-

Teen Wolf

Today as part of a lazy Sunday I sat down to rewatch one of those cheesy movies from the 80's, so I ended up watching Teen Wolf. Teen Wolf is one of those high school movies that makes you chuckle. The teenage cliches run rampant throughout this film and while it is not in the category of the awesomely bad movies it is one that falls into that extremely cheesy movie category. Plus who knew that werewolves are extremely talented when it comes to basketball.

Michael J. Fox plays Scott Howard a teen who has a hard time finding his place in high school. Fox plays this role perfectly with his awkwardness that he plays so naturally when a role requires it of him. He shows even then that he was a star in a making and would only improve in each film he did. I don't know what it is but he is simply a person that you are just drawn to and you instantly view as a hero that you want to win out and get the girl. The supporting cast he has around him are average, but are faces that you will all recognize.

The music throughout this film fits perfectly with the whole teen high school flick feel. Of course it does not hurt that "Surfin' USA" by the Beach Boys is featured. The story is definitely a unique twist on the whole awkward high schooler. While it is very outlandish in many respects in the end it does talk a little bit of a dark shot at high school. It was not really something that I fully picked up on though until this time when I watched the movie. Basically it gives us a little commentary about how cruel high school can be. One is only accepted if they excel at athletics or by who they are.

One other interesting thing about this movie to me was that this film was PG. The interesting part is how it got a PG rating, but really seemed to push the boundary in some parts. Also I would have loved them to explore a little more about the powers. When he finds out his dad tells him that with being a werewolf it comes with "great powers" yet we only get to see two. The first that he has great athletic ability and the second that with his nose he can find a hidden stash of marijuana.

While this is definitely a very cheesy film, it is one that I enjoy seeing every now and then. Michael J. Fox is superb in his role. For being an 80's film it is actually pretty well done, for that I am giving it three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one film that is worth renting or finding on TV if you have never seen it.

-The Movie Man-

Dance Flick

Now most of you who know me and if you have read the blog you will know that I am usually one that does not absolutely hate a movie. However, last night I decided to watch Dance Flick on Netflix and sadly I can never get that time back. I am usually a fan of the parody films because well I love the way they make fun of the different genres. As for Dance Flick I thought it was a lame parody, and part of this might be also that I was not a big fan of most of these original movies.

Of course with this movie I should have maybe been tipped off that it would not be that great since it was from the minds of the Wayans brothers. This will probably be my shortest post because simply I just did not enjoy this movie at all. The acting did nothing to impress me. The storyline just did not work from me because it seemed to take such a small part from so many different dance movies. while it was based off of Center Stage overall I think the movie could have been a lot more effective if they used fewer small parts to parody and done more on parodying fewer films.

For the fact that I just did not like this movie and found it very unfunny and really regret that I can't get this time spent watching this movie back. Because of this I am giving it only one bucket of popcorn out of five. I would not recommend wasting your time on this movie.

-The Movie Man-

Red Dawn

I finally saw Red Dawn for the first time tonight. This movie from 1984 was very enjoyable to watch. It is interesting to think as well with everything that was going on in the world at this time how much this movie was also a very pro American propaganda film. I am sure at the time of it coming out it got many mixed reviews because it is one of those films that you either enjoy or do not like. The storyline to me is very unique and really is one that I don't think has ever been done before.

This movie had a couple of great actors who became stars as they went on through their careers. Probably the big name that is well known is that of Patrick Swayze. Swayze plays the leader of the group of teens that escape the invasion by making it to the mountains. While the acting is over the top at many different times this is really what the movie is about is the over top aspect of everything from the invasion into such a small town. I don't know if it is just because we can look back, but one aspect that made 80's movies so much fun is the cast of actors seem to be three or four well known all sharing the leads. Leah Thompson's character in this movie is done brilliantly, she has this crazy aspect that makes us all uneasy, but be concerned about her at the same time.

While the sets are simple, the simple town look is so perfect for this movie. The movement of the plot in this film keeps moving from the moment the movie starts. They did not let the movie kind of buildup to the invasion as much as they jumped us right into the thick of things. Its the start of the school day and then all the sudden you see all the paratroopers dropping in and then all hell breaks loose.

This is simply a good action movie. It is always an important aspect in a movie like this to train the actors how to properly handle the weapons. The great aspect is with the female characters in that they handle the weapons and you know that they know how to use it but still have an uncertainty with shooting them and holding them.

I loved the concept of this storyline. Hollywood as part of there current trend is actually releasing a remake of this come November. I am giving this movie four buckets of popcorn out of five. I would recommend everyone see this movie before the venture out to view the remake.

-The Movie Man-

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a movie that brings a unique visual that is rarely used. The thing about it that I really enjoyed was the simple fact that this movie takes place sometime in the 1930's, yet most of the technology gives a great futuristic feel as if it is the 2030's. It is a great blending of the old with the new. While the story is not overly deep and it would have been nice to see a little more back story with some of the characters to understand where they are coming from, but in relation to the plot it is easy enough to follow.

Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow have a great chemistry throughout the film. Law brings such a great boyish charm to his role that I am sure had many girls swooning over him. Paltrow on the other hand plays her role perfectly and we can not but help love her character. The only disappointment to me was that they could have given Angelina Jolie's character more of  a prominent role. I found her character to be interesting and she could have given an even better dynamic between Paltrow and Law.

The visuals in the film are ones that are not seen very often. Of course, this is a movie that I am glad we do not see very often because I still enjoy a movie with sets that are real and are not completely filmed in front of a green screen. While I enjoyed the visuals, I think in many respects it is being in front of a green screen that makes the acting not as strong as it could have been. No matter how great an actor is, I think they lose some of the believability that is required in their emotions when having to constantly react to something that they can't see.

Overall, this film is enjoyable and it has a great retro visual with a futuristic twist. Jude Law really shows his acting skills and is a hero that we instantly are drawn into rooting to be successful. With this being a decent movie I am giving Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow three buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one that is definitely fun to watch from time to time and this may definitely be one you want to possibly add to your DVD collection.

-The Movie Man-

Street Fighter

Well I don't know if I am coming down with a cold or if just allergies, but I feel terrible tonight so I am just sitting around watching movies. I decided to start off by watching an awesomely bad movie in Street Fighter. Now many of you may remember the arcade game that this movie is very loosely based on. Really for the most part all they did was use the names of the characters and created a story to go along with it.  

The fact that this movie really does not have many positives and is full of a lot of things that make it just a funny awesomely bad movie. Yet the thing is these negatives are what make this movie fun to watch at times. The acting is just downright funny and the special effects are truly lacking.  

Really to describe the acting only four words are needed, Jean Claude Van Damme. While he is a bona fide action star, his dialogue is just corny, stupid and truly hollow. Yet his action sequences are great, while the final battle with Bison is a little corny it is truly a good ending to this action video game. It was a nice attempt though how they tried to integrate all the characters unique moves. The other really fun fact for everyone about this movie, is who played Lieutenant Cammy was none other then singer Kylie Minogue

While this is an awesomely bad movie, it is really disappointing that with the story from the video game they could have done more to make this at least a decent movie and not an awesomely bad one. They really downplayed some of the minor characters that could have played a bigger role. In the game, Ryu is probably the prominent character, yet is barely featured in the movie.

For a movie based on a video game this was barely an alright attempt.This is what puts this movie into the awesomely bad category, in that it makes you laugh unintentionally. I am giving this two and half buckets of popcorn out of five, but this is a two and a half in the awesomely bad movie. This is one that is fun to watch every time once in a while.

-The Movie Man-

The Simpsons Movie

Well I finally got around to seeing The Simpsons movie after it being out for three years. After seeing it I think Homer sums it up best, "That's good...but not great." That is probably the toughest thing in taking an animated TV series and changing the length from 25 minutes to 90 minutes. Comedy animated series are based on quick wit and keeping everything moving. Yet to do this same approach with a movie the audience would not only get overwhelmed but bored. Because of this the overall jokes are really slowed down and this really takes away a lot of the comedic appeal.

Well first off, I wanted to start with probably the biggest thing that did not work in this movie for me, that was that of the secondary characters. While the family is a great aspect of each episode, it is truly the integration of all the other characters from Apu to Sideshow Bob that help make each episode so successful. Throughout the movie they do nothing to explore the different secondary characters and really the only one that even gets some time is that of Flanders. While they do use Flanders I think they still drastically under use him and the comedy he can bring by being the exact opposite of Homer.

Even though the movie was not all that it could have been, it was still the Simpsons so it still made me laugh throughout the movie. The movie still had the classic Simpson humor that I have grown up loving, but unfortunately it was not as much of the witty sarcastic humor. They tended to lean more toward the slapstick humor that would get laughs out of all audiences and not just die hard Simpson fans.

While it is the same on the show it is such a great ability that the different voice actors have to do the voices of so many different characters. While you can tell the sounds of many of the  voice actors and who does which character, they all have a great ability to bring different personality traits to each and every character.

The Simpsons movie was good, but not great like it could have possibly been if they went with a different approach. While the comedy was not all throughout the movie the Simpson comedy I grew up on, they still made me laugh throughout. I am giving this movie two and a half buckets of popcorn out of five. This is one if you are a fan of the Simpsons that you should rent to watch.

-The Movie Man-

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

As the seventh movie starts to approach I have started to get excited for it and so when I came across Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on TV I could not help but watch it. The third film as well as the book are really the point where I started to truly get into the Harry Potter phenomenon. This is the point where all the characters start to grow up and so to me everything became more intriguing. This is the moment within the series where the actors have grown that your main young characters of Harry, Ron and Hermoine show how much they have improved and that they can really act.

Of course with this being the point where I became the full fledged Harry Potter fan, at the time this was my favorite Harry Potter movie. For me the dementors were amazing, while I believe they are shown briefly in the second film, I don't really remember them, so seeing them in this third film was unique. While they were nothing like I envisioned them in the book they are truly nasty and scary on film. Visually, this is a much darker movie then the previous two and it really ends up being an amazing treat for the eyes. The details in the sets are so intricate that it is impossible to take all of it in just with one viewing.

One thing that I really loved about this movie was that it stayed true to the book, yet when it deviates it does so based on an understanding of the story and characters. This is evident in the way they show, for example, the Knight Bus; Hermione's overstuffed schedule; and the introduction of the Marauder's Map, a scene that captures the twins' mischievous personalities. The changes are clever and funny, and they help compensate for the movie's loss in other areas. Certainly this has to do with the new director and his direction. Cuaron's approach was to stick to the books as literally as possible, often draining them of their subtlety. For instance, where the books only hint that Dumbledore can see through the invisibility cloak, the earlier movies make it unmistakable. The new director never condescends to the audience in that way.

One of the best performances in this film is that of Gary Oldman. It is almost as if this character was created specifically for him. He has such a natural creepiness with just a slight dose of humanity that he truly brings the character to life. Daniel Radcliffe has grown into his role of Harry Potter. He is able to bring such a power to the role that he has shown his ability to move from child actor to adult actor. I think after the series he will not be only viewed as the actor who play Harry Potter.

Yet part of what makes the movie work is the book itself. The story is gripping from start to finish, because the threat looming over the school is established early on. Harry's personal life is sharply intertwined with the plot. We feel for him as we watch his disastrous (but hilarious) attempts to escape his uncle and aunt, and his humiliating reaction to the dementors. The story avoids common devices such as the talking killer or deus ex machina, which the other books have in abundance. The ending is nicely bittersweet and ambiguous. The plot is so complicated, however, that the book spends several chapters explaining it all. The movie wisely includes only very little of this, allowing the plot twists to become understood as the story progresses. I was surprised to see certain events that were in the movie but not the book lend support to an important theory some fans have had about what is to be revealed at the end of the series. Of course, it is well-hidden and won't give anything away for those who aren't looking for the clues.

The visuals were so dark and entertaining. The new director showed his great abilities and really brought the book to life. Since this is the point where I truly became a fan of the series I am giving Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban four buckets of popcorn out of five. This is definitely one that any movie enthusiast should not only see but also own for their own collection.

-The Movie Man-

Back to the Future Part III

Well I decided that it was time to finish up the trilogy of Back to the Future. Marty and Doc Brown are back with another time traveling adventure for all of us. The third movie picks up right where the second movie left off. After having seen the Delorean vanish from lightning Marty is left back in 1955. After fixing up the time machine (which was left in a cave) Marty travels back in time to the Old West to prevent Doc Brown (of 1985) from being shot by "Mad Dog" Tannen. Zemeckis brings the trilogy to a close with a great finish.

Being no different then Part II, you have a couple of the actors playing multiple roles. Michael J. Fox not only plays Marty, but his ancestor Shamus who is Irish, Fox shows his versatility once again. He seamlessly moves from character to character and while you know it is Fox, he brings depth to both characters.

One of the great successes for not only this movie, but the trilogy as a whole has a couple of great themes. While the first movie deals mostly with the great theme of sticking up for yourself and the importance of not being bullied. The third movie plays on the theme of what it means to truly be a man and that means that you do not always have to meet every challenge and fear that if you don't that you are a chicken. Zemeckis does a great job throughout the all three films and is truly a genius in his writing. In each film he has taken little pieces from the previous films and make them essential to what's happening. For instance, if you've seen the second part there is a short scene that is extremely relevant to what goes on in the finale. When originally viewing it in Part II, I'm sure you never gave it a second thought. When the pay off comes in this film, you can't help but chuckle and say, oh I see.

Alan Silvestri brings once again a great score to the film. For me the amazing part is his cohesiveness throughout the entire trilogy of the music, even though he has different eras to represent in each film. The transformation of the Hill Valley from the first two films to one of the Old West is brilliant and you can not help but see how it will form over the years to the city in 1985. While I know there are those that are critics and criticize all the time continuum flaws, this movie is simply a great entertainment. And with my belief in past reviews those that are out to harp on things that are not real in movies, I say unless it is a true story or based on a true story then it does not have to be perfect in what is actually possible.

Back to the Future III, is a fun time travel movie that gives us a test of the old west. Zemeckis did a great job at giving us a trilogy that allows each movie to stand on its own. Part III brings us some great laughs and action. Because of the fact that ZZ Top is in this movie among all the other great aspects I am giving it four buckets of popcorn out of five. The Back to the Future trilogy is one worth owning, as it is great for families to watch on those rainy days.

-The Movie Man-