I really enjoy the first Spider-man. While I feel it lacks both the depth and kinetic energy of its sequel, it’s still a very enjoyable ride all its own. Frankly, it was this film, not X-Men, that got me excited about the new slew of comic movies, and I will always remember it as such. Spider-man is both very innocent and adventurous, with a sound amount of accessible melodrama balanced with fun action. It’s a “nice” film, I think, that tells a strong, straightforward story without having to rely too much on gimmicky CGI or stunt-camera-work in order to compensate for a lack of engaging material (which was the third film’s biggest fault, in my opinion).

It’s not perfect, however. The action, while fun, is lacking. Sure, it has flare wrought by Director Sam Raimi’s capable hand, but it’s not very interesting action itself, nor is it action that sustains alot of energy on subsequent viewings. Having seen the film nearly a half-dozen times by now, I am always less enthralled by the action than I am in the “discovery of powers” sequence or “Spidey gains notoriety” montage. It’s not unwatchable or bad action, it’s just kind of blah…particularly in light of the improvement in the second film (I know it’s unfair to judge originals by the strengths of their sequels, but oh, well, it’s my blog). What the movie lacks in action, however, it completely makes up for with “heart”. Say what you will about the first Spider-man film, but it has a “heart”, a genuine emotional core that is strong but not weepy and annoying. Now, I don’t want to confuse that with “depth”. When I think of “depth”, I mean the inner turmoil Peter Parker experiences in the sequels, which is very different than the “heart” or overall theme of power and responsibility explored in this first picture–and frankly, it’s this difference that makes these first two such powerful co-existing parts.

Frankly, I think Spider-man is one of the better entries in the now-quite-large genre of comic book adaptations. It’s a strong film that tells its story well, even if the “big action sequences” may be a bit more subdued than the vast amount of action set-pieces that followed in the many comic films which proceeded it. I give Spider-Man a solid 5 (out of 7, possible).

NOTE: Just a point of Clarification, while I graciously gave Spider-man 3 a 4, only one point less than this original film, it is still leagues below this Spider-man in every way less the action sequences.

I don’t even know where to start with Star Wars: A New Hope. Is it perfect? Yes. It truly is perfect. I recently watched it, and it was so GOOD, that when it ended. I just started it again. It’s that good. I am serious, here folks. Star Wars IV: A New Hope is a perfect film–at least as perfect as films can be.

Now, I am, of course, referring to the 1977 original release, not any of the various remixes that have since come out. This movie…man…you know, watching this, I really understand WHY Star Wars is such an important part of our pop culture lexicon and also HOW it has become the epic property that it is. Just the opening itself is easily the greatest opening to a film I have ever seen. Shot by shot it is absolutely amazing! Amazing! Then of course the movie continues at a fantastic pace, which it maintains all the way its credit sequence. All the characters are well drawn with extremely likable demeanor, and it’s insane how entertaining their banter is.

I am giving Star Wars IV: A New Hope a resounding 7. If you’ve not seen it. Watch it. It if you’ve seen it, watch it again. It’s amazing.

Also be sure to check out our Star Wars: A New Hope podcast, Right Here

My wife and I recently watched Tim Burton’s latest film, a musical entitled, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The film follows a vengeful barber during his return to London after 15 years of being wrongfully imprisoned. His quest originally involves only two foes who put him away, but the entire city becomes the subject of his sinister obsession due to a twisted plot he devises with a meat-pie chef.

The film opens with a dark and cryptic tone, which it retains from start to finish; Todd, however, also has a wonderful sense of humor in addition to melodious musical pieces. In fact, the music in and of itself is a thematic element of the picture with certain pieces revisited time and time again, intertwined throughout the entire film so that one gets a sense that the songs are truly parts of a whole rather than albumesque “singles” or “filler”. I know this is a film, and I hate to jabber on about the music, but truth be told, it was one of the most impressive parts of the experience. “Pretty Women” and “Joanna” were particular highlights for me.

Beyond the music, the story and plot itself also contain a fantastic thematic exploration of obsession and its ability to blind an individual and drive him/her to be not only their worst enemy–but villains themselves, responsible for even more heinous crimes than their enemies ever were. I always find this exploration to be fascinating, regardless of the many varied interpretations of it, I’ve seen. It is an odd thing, to watch a film and route for the vindictive, cruel, and malicious protagonist, particularly when his actions are obviously villainous.

I came into this movie with a great deal of skepticism. I wanted to see it, but I was expecting very little. I was very surprised; and to be honest, Sweeney Todd is a fantastically horrific musical that truly showcases the varied talents of Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter; and I give it very solid 6.

se7en is David Fincher’s contemporary crime classic on morality in a fallen world and a testament to the filmmaker’s importance in modern cinema. For the uniniaited, Se7en follows two detectives (played with precisin by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt as they ssearch for a serial killer who has been turning his victims’ sins against themselves. For example, he forces an obese man to eat until he bursts, and he forces a model to choose between being disfigured or dying.

I’ll get my rating our of the way right now and give se7en a 7. It’s one of my all-time favorite films, and I can’t imagine my DVD library without it. There’s a certain hypnotic power power to its tone and pacing, with Fincher’s breathtaking visuals serving as grotesquely beautiful example of cinematic craftsmanship. It’s odd to refer to a movie like, Se7en asbeautiful, when in fact, the filmis allabout ugliness—in fact, the film intends to be ugly from start to finish. However, these is a beauty in its cohesion of all things cinematic, from the acting, to the cinematography, to the lighting and the sound, se7en is one of those films in which I just can’t find any weakness; and even if I did, the strengths of the film would far outweigh them.

To be specific, the strengths of the film lie in its visual style, its consistent tone, its fantastic writing, and superb acting. David Fincher is an excpetiona;craftsman and storyteller, and his ability to orchestrate all the elements of film is on open display here. If you check it out, just look at the way the lighting is used throughout the film. It really dictates mood and feel without drawing immediate attention to itself. It’s pretty spaectacular.

The Simpsons Movie is no masterpiece, but it’s still 100 minutes of solid entertainment. The comedy begins right with the 20th Century Fox logo, and it does not let up until the credits. With the exception of a few lulls, the movie is a consistent piece of laugh-out-loud humor, with everything from site gags and in-your-face jokes, to clever quips and underplayed one-liners, plays into a varity of humorous forays and gives fans of the show a movie of which they can be proud.

Of course, it’ ain’t perfect. Like I said, there are a few lulls–Homer’s psychedelic dream and journey back were kinda “meh” as were ALL the moments when Lisa was on screen. These very small missteps, aside, however, The Simpsons Movie is a pretty stellar comedy–certainly one worthy of its own “Top 7 Funniest Moments” list here on The Stage. I’m not gonna bother with the story, other than say (a) it’s about the Simpson family and (b) many of Springfield’s players make appearances. Aside from Spider-pig, the new characters are tolerable but really add nothing new to the show’s wide landscape, and truth be told, I wish that they would have just kept the entire story contained in the town of Springfield. But that’s just one man’s opinion. I still give The Simpsons Movie a very solid 5.

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.”

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.

I totally updated the Song of the Post, Meview, and customs archives. Check em out by clicking the icons above!

Superbard has been hailed as “the next great comedy”. It’s been touted as the funniest movie the year–a raunchy, bold and touching look at teenage life, and it’s made 3x it’s production cost in about 10 days–making it a bona fide success. But I’ll be honest, I didn’t love Superbad.

It’s not because of the language, sexuality, nudity, crass humor, or lulls that came throughout the second act. It’s something wholly different. You could say it’s an “all-encompassing” complaint, and it has nothing to do with any particular objections I have with the movie’s content. It has everything to do with the movie’s rating and overall “message”.

Look, I’m not trying to be a narc, but I think I have to be honest and bring up something that might get me some (possibly earned) flamage. This movie is irresponsible. What? Yeah, I think the movie is irresponsible.

What I mean by that is really simple. Like it, love it, or hate it, Superbad glorifies the high school party scene in a way that I think is problematic. It kind of shows that whole lifestyle as one with little to no consequences because people will bail you out, you’ll happen to catch a break from authorities, or you’ll happen to find success despite how unlikely it is. It makes it seem like the whole “partying” scene is not only safe but fun; and even though things may not play out like you think they will, it’s still a fun rewarding time that you can easily recover from the next morning.

You’re free to disagree with me about this, and that’s fine. You’re wholly entitled to do so. In fact, you may think the movie is RIGHT, that it’s communicating some sort of higher truth. That’s cool, and I can see that. But I have a problem. I don’t know if that’s the best truth to disclose to teenagers really. I think that those 15-18 year olds who sneak into Superbad, will get a message that will encourage behavior that it shouldn’t. I foresee young impressionable minds, like mine was (and is) seeing this movie and thinking, “yeah, if them, why not me.” and That’s a problem as far as I’m concerned.

Here’s the rub, though. I actually think that the makers of Superbad should have seen this and said, “Yeah, so let’s not make this movie for high schoolers. Let’s make it for those who have survived high school and can watch it, looking back on the crap they got into.” I wish they had included more vulgarity, foulness, and unrelenting obscenity to earn this film a hard NC-17 rating. Had they done that, it would have kept the young and possibly impressionable minds out of the theater while giving us adults a fine time of fond memories and great laughs. Maybe it’s just me, and you’re free to disagree in the comments section, but I think that this movie, in particular, as it deals with high schoolers committing crimes, being selfish, and getting what they want in the end is a bit irresponsible. Or, I might just be an overly-judgmental loser.

Now, that I’m past that, I have to say that I thought Superbad was still hilarious. It wore its vulgarity like a badge of honor in a way and has some great laughs as a result. Sure, the movie has a few lulls and misfires, but what comedy doesn’t.

I’m gonna be kinda on the fence with this one and give Superbad a 4. Maybe it deserves better, maybe it deserves worse. Despite my personal feelings regarding its mishandling of its subject matter, I cannot deny how funny and entertaining the movie was. I had a good time watching it but not a great one. The story is fun, the characters entertaining, and the ending rewarding; but it’s a bit of a misfire at times with lulls and an oversimplified glorification of teenage partying.

If you think I’m off base, then post up a comment and burn me good.

You know, I am a big Star Wars fan. I am an apologist, and I accept alot. It’s probably because I grew up with Star Wars. I played with the toys, I listened to the tapes, and so on and so forth. I had deep, long-seated attachment to that frnachise, and I give it alot of grace.

For some reason, however, no matter how much I enjoy Star Trek movies, I still can’t give them the same grace that I give the Star Wars pictures, and that’s sad; for some of the Star Wars flicks may be WORSE than the best of the Trek films, like Wrath of Khan and First Contact. So, that being said, I saw Star Trek: Nemesis for the second time recently, and I was really upset with myself for failing to just sit back and really enjoy this movie. I just couldn’t do it. I felt it moved much too slowly and the action scenes that did happen were really banal.

It’s sad. I know. It’s just that Nemesis isn’t really interesting on levels of either theme or spectacle, despite a scene wherein Captain Picard launches the Enterprise into another ship, creating a head-to-head collision that should have amazed me but, rather, left me waiting for the movie to finally end. As much as I love the Enterprise Crew from The Next Generation, this wasn’t an adventure that I wanted to take with them.

I am giving Nemesis a 3. It’s not “bad” as much as it is “okay”, not “good” but “okay”. I just didn’t love it like I wanted to, and I was saddened because of that.