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Here is my article on the Marvel Graphic Novel, Marvels. Check it out

Space Jam is fun. it’s no masterpiece, not by a longshot. But it’s fun. It’s harmless and watchable fun with a few surprises, a little heart, and a whole lotta laughs…Well, maybe “a whole lotta” is an exaggeration. It has a decent number of laughs (many of which are due to Bill Murray).

The film blends the media of animation and live-action, the genres of fish-out-of-water comedy and inspirational sports flics, and the hot commidities of the NBA and the world of Looney Tunes. On paper, this is an executives dream. It’s a commercial for two hot properties, while being its own merchandising entity. It’s also a film that will advertise itself simply on gimmick. It’s a perfect studio picture in today’s corporate-owned Hollywood. It’s product.

So, the fact that the flic actually had a few redeemable moments and laughs is surprising–as is the notion that the film has an overt message about teamwork and self-confidence. It is these surprises, as well as the coherent story and innocent tone of the film that make it a bearable children’s picture, even if it is only a commercial for other properties (and merchandise, including a soundtrack that rules). I’m gonna be nice and give Space Jam a 4. Knowing what I know, maybe I shouldn’t. It is nothing but a 90-minute commercial…but it’s an entertaining one. Plus, I crack up every time I hear the Tazmanian Devil say, “Lemony Fresh.”

This is a great movie. I know that it gets overshadowed by Pixar’s other projects, but A Bug’s Life is a very, very good film. Frankly, I would say it’s the most under appreciated of Pixar’s work. A Bug’s Life follows the story of an ant colony that hires “warrior” bugs to protect them from attacking cricket marauders; but the bugs they hire are not “warriors” at all, and hilarity ensues as a result.

See, that’s a clever story. Plus, the movie has many innovations as well. We get a male lady bug, a city made of trash, and a giant attacking monster–that from a human perspective is actually just a little bird. So the film also has an incredibly creative landscape. The characters are all fun, and many of them are unique. PLUS, plus, plus, plus, on top of this, the ant community comes together to build a giant model bird vehicle to battle the cricket attackers, which is awesome.

Storytelling. Creativity. Writing. What more does a film need? I don’t know. Heart? It’s got that too (a community unites to build a giant, drivable bird monster, remember). So, I’m giving A Bug’s Life a resounding 6. It’s fantastic. Seriously. In a fairly unbearable landscape of kids’ movies, A Bug’s Life stands out as not only a fun cartoon for the whole family but an exceptional piece of filmmaking.

The Insider is Michael Mann’s film about whistle-blowing and the tobacco industry, and it features Mann’s signature attention to detail as well as electrifying performances from its dynamic leads, Russell Crowe and Al Pacino. Crowe plays Jeffrey Wigand, a scientist working for the tobacco industry whose findings cause him to come forward with the harmful affects of the industry’s products. The outlet to which he turns is 60 Minutes, and the reporter he trusts is the vivacious Lowell Bergman (Pacino). The film follows the tribulations of both men as they attempt to provide the public with truth.

Michael Mann is one of my favorite filmmakers, and this film did not disappoint. It’s technically impressive, well-crafted, and fully realized with the various story elements not only balanced but also blended with perfect cohseion, as if the events of one directly affect and dictate the other. Mann has a way of creating this sort of interplay, and it was fully at work here.

While not one of my favorite films of all time, The Insider is certainly a successful one. It’s a project of poignant criticism, large ideas, and strong execution. Michael Mann continues to show himself a master of film style and craft with the picture, and I give it a very strong 5, leaning toward a 6–Meh, you know what, I give it a 6. The Insider is a sensational piece of work with a consistent dramatic tone that perfectly suits the material, and it’s another incredible film in Michael Mann’s increasingly-impressive portfolio.

Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang is a well-done dark comedy written and directed by action movie veteran, Shane West. The film follows a burglar, who becomes an actor, only to be trapped in a Hollywood crime web. The story is somewhat convoluted, but that’s okay–why? Because of the execution. Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang is executed exceedingly well. The two central actors, Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr., are both fantastic and believable characters who carry the movie on their shoulders.

And Shane West has given them excellent material to work with. Both actors are in fantastic form and are just a pleasure to watch, even if one may be confused or uninterested in the story. And you may not be. It’s a really fun ride, but it is kind of a niche comedy for people who are really into action movies, buddy comedies, and studio filmmaking–all of which are taken to task by West with satirical wit. What is expected is never the outcome, and many scenes one has seen played out a hundred times seem fresh while remaining familiar.

If you can’t tell, I enjoyed Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, and I am going to give it a 5. It’s a good time.

I really, really–really, really, really, really, really–wanted to like Lady in the Water. I even sat through it twice. Yes, twice. The first time I saw it, I had NO expectations, NO pre-conceived ideas, NO nothing. I just wanted to watch the new M. Night flic. It didn’t do it for me, but I really wanted it to…so after being left confusingly dissatisfied, I decided to take a second look at the film, just really trying to get it and see what I missed…and you know, I don’t think I missed anything.

The story is fine. It’s not stellar, but it’s fine. The shot composition is excellent. Even the tone is strong and consistent…but for some reason, some vague and indiscernible reason, the usual formula M.Night uses to make magic just didn’t coalesce this time. It just didn’t work for me. I really wanted it to, I did. I sincerely did. I wanted to be “that guy” who likes Lady in the Water and has a solid list of his own reasons why. I wanted to tell everyone to give it a chance…But I cannot be that man. I cannot do it.

Look, I’m not gonna throw all sorts of hate and say Shyamalan is a bad director. He’s a great director..and writer for that matter. But this was a misstep, which is fine, all directors are aloud to have misfires and many of them do. I just have to call it like I see it. I really didn’t like Lady in the Water despite my fervent attempts to do so…so I gotta give it a 2.

Okay, look, the trailers for Ratatouille looked like crap. No matter how much promotional stuff I saw, I just couldn’t get into it. I thought the whole concept was pretty stupid–that a rat would be a chef in a French kitchen and that he could control a bumbling chef by pulling the guy’s hair did not interest me at all. If Ratatouille wasn’t a Pixar picture, I wouldn’t have given this movie the time of day.

I did give it the time, however; and I am very thankful for having done so. It’s a good flic. It has Pixar’s trademark charm and heart, conveyed through their slick and fantastic animation. It’s a beautiful looking picture with a romanticized Paris that I am sure is 100 times better than the actual city–and if nothing else, I owe Pixar thanks for giving me this version of the city so I don’t have to bother trying to catch the other one before I pass into the afterlife. In fact, I’ll just say it right now, straight up. The best part of of the movie for me really was the visuals. Though I was engaged in the story, I still didn’t fully buy into the remote-control-chef; and at those parts, I did kinda just study the shot composition and animation more than the story itself. I was never bored, though. The visuals alone are very engaging.

So, Ratatouille get a solid 4 from me. I did really like it, even if it was imperfect. It’s yet another powerful piece of the Pixar portfolio.

Fallen is a fine supernatural thriller with a lot of potential but not much payout–though it has a very solid “surprise” ending. The story follows Denzel Washington as a detective hunting a killer–a killer who is an ethereal demon that jumps from person to person through touch and forces his possessed victims to commit crimes. Washington follows both the murderous demon’s present crimes as well as its historic acts of carnage in the past. Frankly, Denzel is good and carries this movie on his shoulders. John Goodman, James Gandolfini, Donald Sutherland, and Elias Koteas serve in supporting roles, but they really just kinda survive in pretty underdeveloped and banal roles.

The concept of the movie is strong, but the execution is pretty ordinary–like, it would have been straight-to-DVD-without Denzel ordinary. The movie’s overall tone is dark and consistent, but the flic doesn’t have many good scenes or moments at all. You know what I mean? It’s one of those movies wherein you dig the concept, but the execution is just kinda, “meh.” Not bad, just “meh”. Sometimes I would get really angry about a missed opportunity like this, but I didn’t really dislike the movie, so I’m not really that upset about it–I guess I’m just disappointed.

Luckily for me, however, this dichotomy of concept vs. execution makes giving the meview rating supereasy. We got a level “5″ concept and a level “3″ execution, that being said, we’ll work the mean and give Fallen a 4.

Okay,I decided to really follow up on what I said yesterday and really try to cut these meviews into quick and readable blurbs. I’m doing it all week, so let me know what you think.

Okay, Arachnophobia is a horror movie about spiders–which is great because Spiders are terrifying as hell itself. The movie stars Jeff Daniels and features some wonderful moments with Jon Goodman, but the later actor is underused. Overall the movie is your standard B-movie fair. It starts slow with a few scares and builds up to a finale wherein the bulk of the budget is spent on a big bang-of-an-ending. So, you’d think it should get a 3 from me. BUT there is something else. Seriously, and this is not hyperbole, even if I hated every other minute of this film–which I didn’t, I actually thought it was fine–the end battle between Jeff Daniels and the Spider-general is amazing. It’s not good–not “good”–IT’S AMAZING. It grabs shots from the Evil Dead trilogy, and it features combat unlike any other. I never felt so unsure of a 6′ man’s victory vs. a 7″ foe . I would even say I like it more than the Sam vs. Shelob fight from The Return of the King, which was my previous title-holder for “greatest battle of man vs. spider.”

So, yeah, awesome final battle, great scary concept, with some B-movie pacing and build up–I’m letting it all average out to a 4. It is a pretty slow build up to that amazing finale. However, I will say that if the movie was cut down to a short film entitled, “MAN vs. SPIDER: To the Death”, it would receive an easy 7.

Alright, I’ll come out and say it. I’m giving Sicko a 4. I realize that this will come as a shock to many of you who know me personally. Moore is the only filmmaker who I loathe, and I have deep-seated distrust of his work. Sorry to everyone that thinks he is a good man…I am taking a stand and saying that I cannot abide his work because of who he is, plain and simple.

Sicko starts with Moore’s usual ridiculous self-indulgence, with Moore at his worst. Unlike, his other films, however, Sicko improves and gets bearable–dare I say, even watchable. Sure, Moore falls into his usual traps–any time he puts himself in front of the camera its a distraction–but overall the film is still an interesting investigation. In fact, it’s so interesting that I even let my guard down from time to time and straightaway bought into things Moore was saying. I attribute this not to the strength of Moore’s arguments but rather to the strength of his craft. He can manipulate footage and facts better than Fox News (zinger), and if Moore felt the desire, I’m sure he could make any absurd argument appear reasonable.

As abhorrent as I find Moore to be, his look at healthcare is a fine film that presents some interesting ideas. I’m not 100% behind it, but I enjoyed it…at least in part.