Besides Hulk, which I reviewed here, I’ve been heading to the movies a bit to catch up on some of the bigger blockbusters of the season. Here are my most recent 4..
Made of Honor (2008)
- The movie’s plotline is soooooo overused, there aren’t any surprises left. Guy falls for girl, girl finds someone else then guy realizes his mistakes and tries to win her back. Having a generic plot was the least of the worries though, as the script was poorly written, with a lot of shallow undertones.
- Shallow why? Because everything was so convenient and typical. Michelle Monaghan’s character was just so fickle. She jumps between moods, and doesn’t know what she wants. Patrick Dempsey’s role was more believable though. I don’t even have to warn you how cliche the ending was.
- Movie had some intelligent wit, but could have done very well without the STUPID humor which Americans must so love. Please, PLEASE remove that silly loser basketball dude - he wasn’t funny, he was just lame - laughing at lameasses isn’t my idea of fun in a romantic comedy. And the wtf glow-in-the-dark Thunderbeads.. sigh.. Wrong movie guys!
- Honestly, just an excuse to capitalize on Patrick Dempsey’s soaring popularity. Girls will flock here just to watch McDreamy exude his charisma - and that he does.. Just too bad Michelle Monaghan wasn’t as attractive or charming.
- Since I went in with near zero expectations, it wasn’t really too bad (I can name many worse ones). Oh yeah, the name for this movie made absolutely no sense and was just a lousy play on words. Now gimme a MissDreamy!
Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull (2008)
- I’m a HUGE fan of Indiana Jones, having watched and rewatched the first 3 movies countless times, and playing all of the PC adventure games. It was one of those childhood things that shaped my life and made me into the adventure freak I am now, so you can imagine my anticipation while awaiting this 4th instalment..
- Steven Spielberg actually managed to recapture the Indy magic, with plenty of over-the-top fun filled action moments and the playful interaction between the characters. Full credits also goes to Harrison Ford (who doesn’t seem like he’s aged much at all) and Shia LaBeouf for pulling off their roles with plenty of attitude and gusto.
- It’s just too bad the whole plot was the weakest link in the movie. Alien crystal skulls and flying saucers.. puhlease! Mr. Lucas, if you wanted to do a sci-fi film, please stick to your Star Wars. The extremely cliched sci-fi aspect of Indiana Jones 4 insulted my intelligence - the first cardinal rule any good movie should never break.
Indy : “Where’d they go? Into space?”
Professor Oxley : “Not into space… into the space between spaces.”
*ARGGHHH. - Much much more campy lines screwed it up for me too. Maybe audiences (like me) nowadays expect something a little more smarter than what was used before, but I’m sure even the previous movies weren’t this lame.
- Come on Indy, where’s your whip! Also particularly loved the many references to past characters in Indy’s life.
- Overall, it’s still a great entertaining action romp - but probably also one of the biggest disappointments of the year.
Iron Man (2008)
- Tonnes of praise has been heaped on Iron Man, with many claiming it’s the best superhero movie to date.. I beg to differ though. Batman Begins still beats Iron Man flat anyday for me, but that’s because I prefer darker, grittier, and harsher films than these usual colourful comic adaptations.
- Don’t mind me, Iron Man is still a pretty top notch film, with Robert Downey Jr. doing an amazing job as the billionaire genius Tony Stark. There was simply very little not to like about the movie.
- The supercool suit has the capabilities to defy the laws of physics, but I’ll let that slide..
I thought the way he flew was a little sissyfying though - like a ballerina. - Was that Gwyneth Paltrow? Shit she was way out of her normal roles by playing the subservient, cute, faithful Pepper Potts - and was pretty dang hot to boot.
- My only real gripe was on the one-dimensional aspect of the villains. As stated earlier, Iron Man is still too ’safe’ - the terrorists didn’t feel like terrorists, I didn’t feel shock over the loss of life, nor much emotion over the drama either. Give me some blood!
- And then all the dropped hints at sequels, or Nick Fury appearing after the credits - well, we are all patiently waiting for more..
The Chronicles of Narnia : Prince Caspian (2008)
- Watched this only because I am a big fantasy fan, and actually went into the hall with very low expectations (I found The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe awful)
- True enough, it was disappointing - but surprisingly better than the first for me.
- All the kids are a little older now, blossoming into well, possible future stars (good looks not withstanding). However, their on screen characters are still terribly immature, and annoying.. *whine whine pout pout*. How the heck does anyone even find them remotely respectable as heroes?
- Much of the plot was childish, but then again, its derived from a children’s book.
- Special effects were pretty spectacular though, especially near the end.
- *SPOILER ALERT* What’s up with Aslan saving the day? It’s like, all hope is lost, and suddenly there’s an unexplained miracle out of the blue. That bloody lion is supposed to be dead! Yeah yeah, I understand the whole Christian allegory, but still - it’s a little too convenient for my tastes (just as it is with all religion).
