Sweeny Todd

Well, last night was interesting. Didn't realize Sweeny Todd was out, and then suddenly a friend of mine and I shot out to grab tickets ahead of the showing just in case. I've been eagerly awaiting this movie for a good while - since I heard it was coming together I think. The collected talent for the movie just felt right - and it was.

Sweeny Todd is just one of those movies that feels like it justifies its production. I know a lot of people were a bit worried about the end product. Afer all, the musical is one of those pieces that is almost sacred in the musical community and Tim Burton is well known for insisting his vision before all others.

Visually the movie is very Burton. Dark and drab colors draped around character's who bone structure is enhanced by their make-up. Surreal bright colors that make normal scenes feel abnormal, as if to make the abnormally dreary more natural. All this accented by splashes of red. Yes, that wonderfully unsettling crimson shade of red.

Musically the overture is very strong, and the performances are right there where they need to be. Depp can really sing, as well as the rest fo the cast. Nothing else to say except that it works and is quite good.

I'm not going to spoil the story, but the movie ends right where it needs to end. It doesn't drag on with what else happens like many other movies. The audience was upset that it ended where it did, but I think it would have ruined the story if they kept going. There's a great thematic meltdown at the end with the plot twists, and then the credits roll.

I really can't say much about this movie that is negative. It doesn't have the chorus, but in the movie I didn't miss it. The movie flows smoothly along its core plotline.

I think this is one of the best movies out this year that I can remember, and I hope it grabs a few Oscar nods. Highly recomended.

Wonder Woman casting possibility.

Katie Holmes as Wonder Woman.

I have two words:

NO THANKS.

It's not that I dislike her, even if I didn't like her in Batman Begins. It's that her acting ability is kind of...I don't know...flat I guess. She doesn't have enough on screen power to pull off a strong role in my mind, and this is the freaking most powerful female in DC we're talking about.

I know I'm being premptive in my ranting and I admit I haven't seen but the one movie with her in it, but this is just bad casting in my mind.

Been thinking about Unbreakable...

So I just finished watching Unbreakable a short while ago. Been a long time since I saw it all the way through, and I still enjoy it. It feels a little long now, but I blame knowing all the twists.

I was thinking...out of all the movies M. Night has made this one deserved more treatment than the others. He really touched on something that has a lot of elements that could be tapped into for a solid series.

I remember reading a long time ago when this movie was going into production and stuff that they were planning on making this a trilogy. It was also right as things were building in hollywood where trilogies were 'in,' so I don't know how likeable the idea would have been to the public.

After watching the movie again, I was thinking about where the series could have gone.

Unbreakable is of course the origin story. Not just the origin of Sentryman or whatever you want to call Bruce Willis' character, but also the origin of his first (and most important) villain.

The second movie, if it were to follow traditional trilogy style, would have had to be about the fall of Sentryman. He would encounter some obstacle he didn't know how to face, even after building his courage as a hero.

I think it's pretty obvious from the first movie and stereotypes the movie plays with that the hero did not grow up reading comics. He has no understanding of comic myth and types, so he would have to have a point of reference to help him undertsand what is going on about him. He would have to keep in contact with Mr. Glass.

Their relationship is not very good after the grand reveal at the end of the movie, which would cause a lot of good tension, and it would be some of the more memorable moments as Willis would make his way to visit him in the insane asylum. I get visions of Batman going to visit Hannibal Lector.

Being about the fall of the hero, there would have to be something in the way to defeat the hero. Batman had Bane, Superman had Doomsday, ect. Since the movie is about real life, and how a hero might be in real life I can only suggest one thing - he is caught and charged as a criminal himself. His face would be everywhere in the media. People would take stands against him for his reckless and unlawful behavior, and others will rise up to defend him for being the hero he was. His wife would find out, their relationship would reach the breaking point, and their son would suffer from their breakage and being singled out in school for who his father is.

In the end he would have to face the end of his career as a hero, in one form or another - the classic comic book 'death' scene. Not literal death, but the metaphorical death.

This of course leads into the Third movie, in which Willis would face different paths he could choose. Ultimately, he would choose to return as a hero. He couldn't return to being the hero he was as it was a secret identity issue, but he could take on the mantle of a hero in some other form. He has his "powers" still, but he would have to win the public trust - this is the path to glory. His rise in fame, and redemption of any percieved injustice he may have produced.

I'm honestly not real sure how the 3rd film would play out, or at least how I would think it could play out. The trilogy never went into planning as far as I know, and I do not think they ever will be made. Still, I am glad M. Night was able to make Unbreakable - it's one of my favorite comic book related movies.

Officially boycotting 'Transformers' in theatres

Final stray was pulled to cause me to 100% boycott the upcoming movie.

"It's 'Transformers' -- you can't take it too seriously,"
--Director Michael Bay

Thanks for deciding not to take the franchise seriously, and my interest in seeing what would have been this fanboy's 20 year old dream...

Something to note about the new Hulk movie

First of all, as many who know me would know, I loved the Hulk movie directed by Ang Lee. I have no clue how accurate it is to the comics, but I love the way the movie plays out the character drama.

As many people on the internet would know by now I'm sure, there is a new Hulk movie in the works with Edward Norton and Liv Tyler. I fear for this movie, firstly, because the director is the same guy who directed The Transporter. I didn't particularly care for this movie, but it did have style. Before people get too hyped, however, know that he also directed Dead or Alive.

Behold, Dead or Alive:


Also: Poor Devon Aoki. She just can't seem to break out of being typecasted.

Dark Knight vs Joker, thoughts

So most people know about the 'I believe in Harvey Dent, Too' site. Well the Joker is just about totally revealed now and I can only think one thing.

Why do they feel a need to have the Joker's smile a cut lip smile? I know the Joker was originally inspired by 'The Man Who Laughs' but Joker in the comics has never had a cut grin to the best of my knowledge. If anything, give him a prosthetic chin enhancement. He has a big chin, not a big mouth. The mouth only looks big because he is always smiling/laughing.

Still, as much as I can complain about this bit of visual disgust over artistic liberties, I still have to remember how well Batman Begins was pulled off. The same crew is working on this movie. Here's to having a little hope placed in Nolan to know what he's doing.

Spiderman 3

Firstly, I'll say that while I didn't think it was bad enough to want my money back, I will say it is likely the weakest of the three.

I won't spoil the movie, but know that about halway through it drops any character motivation/development to go full force into action. The action was good, but it did actually take away from the plot.

Venom? Looks good, but under developed. Should have probably been in a movie by himself, though the dynamic with Sandman did mesh well as presented.

Finally, the one thing that really took me out of the movie? Peter Parker spontaniously dancing everywhere while wearing the black suit. Too strange for my tastes...

I'd give it a solid C+

Thoughts on 300...

First off I will say that while I enjoyed the movie, I felt a bit underwhelmed when the credits rolled. I should probably also say I haven't read the graphic novel, but I have studied the actual battle.

There were some very good scenes, in fact they were spectacular, however there was so much more they could have included. Yes, I know it's a Frank Miller movie, and he's a special kind of writer and artist, and the movie was very "Millertastic" to say the least.

I didn't care much for the bits of Gorgas' life after the 300 march off. It's not that I didn't care for her, but that the scenes honestly felt wedged into the movie. It broke the pacing even if it expanded what little plot there was.

Also, on the angle of macho men fighting a macho war with swords and spears...in the real battle the Spartans fought off four waves of Persians for the body of their king. That is awesome and very strong symbolically....did Frank Miller just skip over that part? That's a bit unlike him if he did...there wasn't even a chunk of voice over to bring it up...

Also, the ending really stretched out past where an emotional ending could have occured. It dragged on and on, killing the tone of the aftermath...

Maybe I'm just a bit frustrated from having it overhyped. I like Butler, but I hope he doesn't get typecasted into this type of role. Still, not to sound too negative I did enjoy the movie, and would give it a solid A.

DC Movies and their slow collapse

WB and DC seem to be fracturing at the seems when it comes to movies now.

Joss Whedon off Wonder Woman - It would have had great pacing and good dialogue, but I always felt his take might not have been the one non-whedon groupies would have liked on the whole. I do approve of who he had it might for Diana visually at least. It would have done well in any case.

Now there's the confirmed word that David Goyer is off the Flash - This is something I would normally slam my head on my keyboard for, because knocking him off that title after all I have read is a very very stupid move. I was really looking forward to this movie, even though I don't know a whole lot about the character. He's got great villains from what I've seen and read, even if much of them come across as less able Batman rogues.

Both of those moves toss both properties back into development hell. Afterall let's face it, who cares about those two when you have Batman and Superman?

What's next? James Cameron off Aquaman? To bad that was only a rumor spun out from a tv show's subplot. It would have been awesome.

Green Arrow will never have a movie, and let's just forget about Steel, shall we?

Hannibal Rising (review)

I'll try to keep any spoilers to a minimum, but if you know much about Hannibal Lecter there isn't a whole lot you can really spoil. The book follows Hannibal from ages 6 to about 20 I think, and is mostly a self-contained story of revenge.

Honestly, in my mind the book was rather average. I think part of that stems from it only being written due to pressure from the general public, and studios, for more Hannibal Lecter. There really is no other need for this book to exist, and after reading it some of the charm the character had thanks to his myserious origin are a bit lessened.

Basically, the book is about how bad Hannibal's life was as a kid, and how he dealt with his situation. There is a lot of angst, art, culture, and violence in the book. Everything flows up and down like a movie, so I wonder how much of the book was driven by the need for the movie since it was filmed before the book was released.

Another aspect that bothered me was the usage of a Japanese woman as Hannibal's aunt (I would use her name, but at the moment of writing this it eludes me). Don't get me wrong, the idea that she's Japanese doesn't bother me. After WW2 I'm sure there were many men who took in a Japanese wife, even before the war, for the sake of exoticness. This is probably also to help reinforce the notion that Hannibal is 'other' just like many percieve Japanese things, and I think that is what bothers me more about her being Japanese.

The other major complaint I have about her character is that she has no depth. This may be in part of Thomas Harris not having researched a whole lot and having a limited knoweldge base to work from - I don't know. The way she comes off is very much the standard idea of what a Japanese woman is like, right down to the typical 'rarely speaks verbally, but speaks through poetry and music'. She reminds me a lot of Madam Butterfly, except that she has Hannibal by her side to defend her (because she needs defendng!).

Also included is the popular knowledge that people folded cranes to try to get well after Hiroshima was destroyed and irradiated by the atom bomb, as well as prearainged marraige. It's like all the researched performed was a quick look up in an encyclopedia and watching a few post-war movies set in Japan.

Anyway, the book is worth reading if you have interest, but isn't required reading by any means. Of the four books that feature Hannibal Lecter, this is the least impressive. I think it may also be the shortest. This does not bode well for the movie, but they may pull an American Psycho out of it (not so great book, awesome movie) - there isn't much hope for that though...

Movie Review: Crank

Overall the movie is rather good, much better than Snakes on a Plane as far as action movies go this year. Once the action begins, it is practically nonstop. There are a few soft moments, but thanks to the plot they can't last for very long or the main character will die. How's that for a way to move the story along?

The style of the movie is unique as far as movies go this year. Shifting filters and contrasts twist the movie around to fit the phase the movie is in. The easiest way to think about this movie is in video game terms, which is easy in itself because the title sequence looks straight out of an Atari system.

The movie really is fun, even if it is on an adult level. Imagine various ways to keep yourself going with adrenaline and I bet most of those are in the movie.

There is a lot of typical Hollywood action falsehoods, but you don't really pay attention to them. The movie only really has one plot twist, but you watch it for the action and the insanity.

Recomended to see in the theatres, because the things theatres are known for only help this movie - mainly big screen and sound. It is also really good to see in a group if you can.

A-

Snakes on a Plane - Review (spoilers)

Spoilers

Up front I think I have to say that I was probably one of the rare few who didn't care about the hype surrounding this movie. That being said, I can use that as an excuse for seeing the movie a week after it came out. There were only a handful of others in the theatre, which could be seen as a testiment to how strong of a pull it really has. It did help with staying 'in' the movie, so I can't complain.

First of all, yes, there is a story. The story makes a fair amount of sense, too. They actually make having snakes on a plane make sense, and as to why they are attacking everyone without reason. In fact, it makes a surprisingly decent binding agent for the whole movie, and prevents it from being a Sci-Fi original on the big screen.

The cast worked for the most part. Everyone is a stereotype of people you meet or see on an airplane. I mean everyone. This doesn't bring the movie down too much, because half the fun of the movie before the snakes take over is about the interactions between these stereotypes. It should also be noted that only Sam Jackson could play his role - anyone else and the movie would have fallen apart.

Is the movie smart? Generally speaking, it tries to be. The way situations are handled makes quite a bit of sense, and the improvised solutions work. My biggest snag in the movie is the types of snakes they used.
-Using a bunch of snakes from around the world? It works on several levels, and I liked that touch.
-Using black snakes and king snakes? Most people in the audience wouldn't notice this little point, but it killed some of the scenes for me. Besides, if the king snakes really were coral snakes, they don't have very large fangs.

It has a very good twist at the end of the movie, which did make most of the people in the theatre jump. It will also make your brain hurt briefly, ina good way.

Overall, I'd say it is worth at least one view on the big screen if you have any interest - otherwise it honestly is worth rental when it comes out.

The Pulse

Saw the Pulse today...
Someone else paid for my ticket, which is why I agreed to see the movie. Otherwise I would have left the movie alone as it seems so many seem to be doing - the screening only had 5 other people in it aside from our little group.

How was the movie? Bad. Very bad. Lots of continuity errors, bad sound, a story that makes no sense at all. Wes Craven wrote the adaptation, and honestly it is no better than the Curse. I honestly think the man has no more talent left to tap.

F all the way. Stay away.

The Descent: a full review (spoilers)

Yes, there are spoilers here. If you are thinking of seeing the movie, and want to enjoy what you can, turn away.

First of all, I have to say that the casting was fairly good. The women actually felt real when they were interacting, so their dialogue was not only decently written, but they also delivered the lines fairly well. They felt like old friends when they meet up in the begining, and you don't feel very forced into the situation, and their interaction doesn't confuse you that much.

The movie takes place in the Appalacian Mountains, which pulled me into the setting. I'm from the area, and the movie looks like it really was filmed in the area. The cave setting was also well thought out, and when they were exploring they actually looked like they knew what they were doing. No easily noted mistakes as far as technique goes. A few people in the audience chuckled here and their when they were climbing, but with a little background you could tell someone in charge has actual experience.

So far it sounds as though the movie is good, right? After all, they advertise it to be the best horror movie since Alien. That's a big statement, and with so much attention to detail it may very well be for much of the public. For me, however, the horror aspect makes the movie fall apart.

The movie opens with an introduction of the main character, and the tramatic death of her family (esp. her daughter). Basically, they are setting up a tragic streak into the character to seperate her from the rest of the cast later on. The others are cheerful and eager to cavedive, while she is joining them to try to overcome her trama. She takes pills to calm her nerves, so you know she isn't wholely recovered mentally.

This mental trama presents itself early on with mindtrips that lead into "boo-scares" - sudden events that make you jump and question what's real. These early moments feel forced into the movie due to its genre, as if there are a required number of audience jumps per 15 minutes. The car wrecking and the deaths were acceptible, because they didn't actually show the death. It was implied and your mind is welcome to imagine the worst. The other moments made no sense, and pulled me out of the story briefly.

I hate boo-scares. I personally am fond of horror movies that creep you out atmospherically, or make you wonder about what is really happening. Boo-scares feel cheap and exploitational. They make you jump because sudden noise. I want to feel icky about what is presented by allowing my brain to fill in the gap. Trust me, my imagination can come up with things Hollywood will never put onto film.

Later after the enter the cave, the movie feels like it was finally begining. This isn't a good thing, but I can't complain too much since much of the time was spent devloping character traits. As they travel deeper into the cave, things begin to grow strange. Caves can be strange, which is part of the draw of them. Sound is distorted, perception is dulled, and irrational fears are magnified. Afterall, Batman lives in a cave and his main weapon is fear.

One thing I do have to point out now that I am talking about the cave. I have to point out that I really liked the choice in how to film the movie. There is no natural ambient light. If there is no light it is black, like a real cave. The only sources of light for the whole cast are the headlamps, flashlights, flares, glowsticks, and a digital camera with nightvision. When someone is talking, someone is looking at them so you see them talking. When they look into cave rooms you can only see as far as they would see, and shadows dance everywhere. In tunnels and pipes you feel very trapped.

Anyway, the main character hears a child periodically, which you assume is her hearing her child. She's crazy, remember? She is told by the trip leader that things are not as they seem in caves and to stick with the group. The noises do make her break away to try to find the source of the sounds, which is almost always Stupid Horror Movie Rule #2. This leads into the interaction with the freaky dwellers in the dark.

Rule #1 is that the girl must twist her ankle while being chased, and since there is no "girl" stereotype it doesn't apply. The whole cast is female, and there isn't a romantic relationship between any of them. Instead you have close friends and sisters. There is a bond between them all, and that bond is stressed as the movie progresses.

The creatures in the cave are eerie when introduced, and very much like the alien from Alien. It appears and vanishes into the shadow. It runs around the group, crawls on the walls, and they can't see it well enough to get a good look. After this initial confrontation, however, the movie falls apart.

You see a lot of the monster, because there is more than one and they have actual weaknesses that get figured out an exploited by our split up group of girls. After you get face to face with them, and they are in full light, they are more repulsing than frightning. You no longer freaked out by them, but you do feel a level of direness in the situation.

Attention was paid to how the creatures would act. They can't see like nearly all cave life, but hunt by sound. However, I have two major troubles with the creatures.

First of all, the noises they make are snake hisses and hyena calls. They don't fit. What they should have done is have human voices making wierd noises, because that would have only aided the disgust of the human like creatures. Besides, they had previously used those noises in Pitch Black, and they mostly worked then - the creatures were not humanoid.

Second, though the make up and effects were quite good, they were total ripoffs of Count Orlok. The name may not be familiar, but he's the vampire from Nosferatu. Pointed ears, clawed hands, and most telling they have the two fangs in the very front (instead of canines). He's featured not only in Nosferatu, but also Shadow of the Vampire - another of my more favorite movies.

I'm not going to give the whole movie away, but it does spiral into a bit of a metaphor. In the end it comes down to what you (or the girls) are willing to do to survive, and how loyalty plays a role. It feels like they were also making a point that to be an ultimate survivor you have to lose your humanity.

...and then they give you a final boo-scare that makes no sense and ruins the feeling of the end of the movie.

For a horror film, it really is one of the better ones to be released in a long time. Sadly, it content choices in the begining and ending prevent it from me fully enjoying it.

Overall, I'd grade it a C+
Worth admission, but no food or drinks. Best if you see it in a group, not so good alone.

Transformers news

Apparently a big piece of news was revealed at Comicon.

Peter Cullen is the voice of Optimus Prime.

My feelings for the movie is now back to even, I'm not hyped nor am I disgruntled. I think there is a chance for the movie to be great, just as much as I think it will fail miserably.

Now if only Frank Welker will get attached...

Transformers, the Bay Film

It could be said that I'm a fan of Transformers, specifically gen 1. I happily review the comics as they come out. I know the main players, and I have my favorites.

I am also very worried about what Michael Bay is doing.

Recently an image of Optimus Prime in vehicle mode was leaked. He's based on a Peterbilt, which makes sense. He's not a flatnose, but that doesn't bother me so much. They are not used in America anymore as far as I can tell, and they were primarily a Japanese vehicle if I remember right. There are two things that bother me about this.

First, Bay stated that he chose the Peterbilt because he thought Optimus should be a massive 40-50 foot tall robot, and that truck could house enough insides to make the mass fit. I find this hard to take, since what makes Optimus Prime such a powerful character isn't his size. It's his charisma. I always thought he was maybe 25 feet tall, which probably makes sense for the flatnose cab. His battle prowess and such came from the Matrix, which was all the knowledge of those before him and such. Making him stand 40-50 feet is very much something Bay would do, because he likes taking things to a popcorn-extreme.

Second, Optimus is black with red flames for a paint job. Sit and think about for a minute, but don't take too long else you may burst a vessel in your brain. I don't think I really need to explain this. Optimus Prime is red with white trim and a blue frame. He is Red, white, and blue - because he's a real American hero. He doesn't have black, because that is Nemesis Prime or whatever they are calling him now.

There are also issues with changing some of the vehicles, but I'm not so worried about that. Bumblebee has always been trouble because VW doesn't like others using their vehicle image. I can accept his use as the bridge with the humans, because he has often been the one who was seen more as a kid than the other Autobots.

I can also accept Megatron turned into a tank. He has also been cannon-based. I can honestly say that turning into a Walther p38 would have caused a lot of general public outcry. As much as I love the symbolism behind that, the tank makes sense according to War Within and Gen2. Besides, it is an easy way for him to have his fusion cannon, if Bay keeps the fusion cannon.

I have worries about Soudwave and Starscream. Soundwave may still be a boombox, but that'll mean that Bay keeps him about 4 feet tall in robot mode. Starscream maybe tossed into the same lump with his "brothers" Thundercracker, Dirge, Skywarp, and Sunstorm (and the rest of the clones). Starscream is the one whose spark was screwed up, became immortal, and has megolomania on par with Megatron. Starscream is just impatient when it comes to victory. I hope Bay is aware of this, as are the scriptwriters.

I would love to have Shockwave appear because he is one of my favorites, but I don't see how he would make sense in this movie. If it gets a sequel, maybe, if they return to Cybertron. Dinobots also wouldn't make much sense in this movie, and Unicron should be saved till he could be used as a cap to a trilogy.

Other issues I'm curious about are the female transformers. There aren't many, because supposedly the models became more 'gender nuetral' through upgrades and time since they didn't reproduce in that way. Arcee would be the main choice, but I fear Bay will totally mess her up if he's included her.

Bay has said he wants to audition the original voice cast, or at least those surviving. Very smart move. He has also said that he doesn't want to show any robot modes beofre the movie is released so everyone who sees the movie sees it with a fresh mind. Stupid move. Transformer geeks will rip it apart by speculation.

Get Peter Cullen, show us Optimus Prime transforming into robot mode, and have his say "Autobots, roll out" with his gun in hand while pointing. If you do this, Mr. Bay, you will have won over us geeks.

A question of women in comic movies

You know, I've been wondering since the weekend about why the women in comic book movie adaptations always seem....how can I put it....not as good they could be. I don't know quite why this is. I'm no expert, but I am pretty critical of movies. I'll refer to the most recent big budget DC movies.

Batman Begins? I think most people will agree that the character Rachel Dawes was the weakest link in an otherwise near-perfect adaptation. Was this because she was the only character in the movie that had no comic reference? I don't want to think so, because many other female roles are written well in other movies.

Dawes seemed to be only there to react to Bruce's poor concepts of justice. She was the compass that set him back on track. She had history with Bruce as child, and she was the DA for Gotham. That is all the depth I remember from her, and as a new character in the Batman mythos she needs depth to solidify her among so many already established characters. We know about Bruce. We know about Gordon. We know about Scarecrow and Ghul. Who is this Rachel if she isn't from Year Two? Sadly, all we learn from her (aside from what I mentioned already) is what has happened to Gotham while Bruce was gone. Exposition isn't needed when it can be shown visually.

Unfortunately, I fear she may become a martyr figure for the next film without much more depth being established. She is established as the requisite love interest for the hero, in a job position that shouldn't really belong to her given the chronology of the movie. To keep the fans happy with this newly revitalized franchise, Harvey Dent needs to somehow attain her job.

Superman Returns? Kate Bosworth was, in my opinion, better in her role than katie Holmes was as Rachel, but she still felt a bit weak in contrast to the movie. I think the biggest difference was that Lois is already established from previous movies and the comics. My main issue was that she looked young, a bit too young, for the role. A five year later tag, and she looks five years younger. For her defense, so does Superman - it's just the casting.

Comic book movies have always seemed to lack strong female roles. My guess is that the comics have male leading roles, and that the women just get religaded to a backup role. I don't care so much that the women are not as strongly represented in the story, because the story is about the hero afterall. I don't like it when the female is nothing more than a motivation for the hero, arm candy, or a reporter bent solely on uncovering the secret identity.

Now, there are strong women in comic adaptations. They are just rare. For example Jennifer Connelly in Hulk was, in my opinion, a strong role. She had to be, considering she was basically the only force able to calm a force of nonstop destruction. Another strong role was Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman in Batman Returns.

I have hope for the upcoming Wonder Woman movie, however, because unlike other comic movies the lead is already a woman.

Saw X-Men 3 last night...

All I can really say is "wow."

Wow, as in impressive special effects.
Wow, as in terrible writing.

I'll try to keep spoilers out.

Honestly, I don't care that Ratner took over directing. I don't care that they killed people off. I don't care that Storm had more screen time due to her having an Oscar and demanding it.

Still, there was little plot except as an excuse to fight. Mutants tossed in that really didn't belong half the time (I'll admit you need many mutants for an army, but they don't all need screen time). Glaring continuity problems. And, contrary to what Piccard was trying to teach the kids early on, there are no ethics or morals involved at the end - it is just one massively pretty battle.

It's sad too, becuase there were several moments where the film touched a very strong core. Angel crashing through the window and escaping over the street protest. Close up on Rogue when the cure is announced. Magneto working his magic is equally fun to watch.

I'll give it a C overall. If it would have been well written and executed it would have been much higher, and only the visuals save it from a worse grade.

Hulk 2 news and worry

I read a short while ago that Hulk 2 is progressing towards production, despite what everyone is warning. Apparently the villian this time will be Abomination. The article describes him as some kind of 900 pound spy that has the strngth to match up with Hulk. This is where I scratch my head in wonder.

The acticle also claims that the first movie lacked a primal element, which this movie will make up for. I read that as "first movie was boring, this one is going to be all action. Nonstop Abomination vs Hulk action!"

Personally, I don't want to see this sequel as it seems to be building up to. I was one of those few that saw Hulk in theatre and absolutely loved it. I even saw it in theatre multiple times.

Ok, so Hulk is a Marvel property and I've never read an issue - I'll admit that. Maybe I'm missing this primal element mentioned, and maybe that is what fans of Hulk were up in arms over with the first movie. I liked the bursts of action with a lot of story and character development. The action was intense, but it served a purpose. Mindless action is just that - mindless.

To me, I like the Hulk as a character due to the split nature of Banner and Hulk. It is the same reason I like Jekyll and Hyde, and the two stories I see as very much the same. Except, of course, that Hulk isn't a psychopathic incarnation of evil, instead he is being of pure emotion that is made into a villain out of misunderstanding.

My point is, I suppose, is that I fear Hulk 2 will lack the heart of the first and will cause the franchise to go the way of say, Batman when Schumacher took over.

Not the End?

The American live action Sailor Moon movie turns out to be false, imagine that? However, the Shazam movie is still building steam, and recently a Starblazers movie has been anounced.

Also, it should be noted, that for some reason a 26 episode cg show based on K9 from Doctor Who is going into production (with Who vets behind it, so don't feel so worried).