Ted (R / 1 hr., 46 min. / Director: Seth MacFarlane / Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane)
Check out the red band trailer.
I was bored and wanted to get out of the apartment—so, I went to see Ted at the theatre. I was just going to wait for it to appear on Redbox but ... you know, bored.
RECOMMENDATION: Wait for Redbox or Netflix.
REVIEW: It was as raunchy as I was expecting—it is a Seth MacFarlane movie (the guy behind Family Guy). The movie was at its best when it was raunchy. When it was sentimental, it was ... not so good. Fortunately, the sentimental parts did not last too long. The plot was pretty predictable. The acting was okay to good. Mark Wahlberg was okay. Mila Kunis was good (and hot). Seth MacFarlane as the voice of Ted was the primary source of the raunchiness and pretty good at it. The special effects behind Ted were great. It did feel like a teddy bear brought to life.
Evolution (DVD / PG-13 / 1 hr., 42 min. / Director: Ivan Reitman / Cast: David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, Julianne Moore)
Check out the trailer.
I had bought a version when living in France. It has a different region code. In France, you can buy a DVD player and they will make it regionless for a reasonable fee—not so in the States. So, I bought another version since it was on sale at Amazon.
This is a bit of a guilty pleasure ... it is just pure (stupid) fun. I will sometimes watch this while doing other things. The story is over-the-top ridiculous. The actors all look like they are having a good time. The special effects are surprisingly good.
It is available on Netflix (but not instant streaming). Give it a try! There is an animated version as well. I have not seen this before. I will have to add it to my queue!
The Amazing Spider-Man (PG-13 / 2 hrs., 16 min.)
I went to the local theatre to see The Amazing Spider-Man (in 2D—not a fan of 3D). I picked a time and day when I thought the theatre would be mostly empty. I guess I am weird—I do not really think of watching a movie as a social occasion. It was pretty empty; unfortunately, a young boy (?) decided to start talking very loudly during the dialogue of the last 10 minutes or so of the movie. He was speaking loudly enough that I had to strain to hear the dialogue—and the parent(s) did not ask him to be quiet for several minutes. I was more than a little bit annoyed! So, my enjoyment of the movie was somewhat muted by this experience.
RECOMMENDATION: In spite of my bad experience, I would recommend seeing this in a theatre. I have a nice set-up at home but there were several very good scenes that look a lot better on the movie screen than on the TV screen. I will end up adding this to my Blu-Ray collection when it becomes available.
REVIEW:
Story
In case you did not know, this was a reboot of the Spider-Man franchise. Apparently, when you reboot a franchise, you must start again with an origin story?! I have read more than a few (but, definitely not all) Spider-Man comic books/graphic novels and I have never seen the origin story in this movie. This is mostly not a bad thing. I did enjoy the story. It was a good origin story and set-up nicely for the next movie. My one complaint may be a bit of a nitpick. The movie did not have a scene where Uncle Ben imparted his wisdom in the form of, what I believe is the essence of Spider-Man, a well-know quote. Watch the movie and let me know if you missed that quote as much as I did.
Acting
The acting was good to excellent all around. Andrew Garfield is a good Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Emma Stone is an excellent Gwen Stacy. Rhys Ifans is an excellent Dr. Connors/Lizardman. Martin Sheen and Sally Field were also good as Uncle Ben and Aunt May. I even liked Denis Leary as Captain Stacy.
Special Effects
The special effects were great. There was nothing new but they were very well done.
I bought the Superman vs The Elite (PG-13, 74 min.) Blu-Ray sight-unseen. I pretty much do this for all of DC's (and Marvel's—for that matter) animated movies.
RECOMMENDATION: This is definitely worth a rental or putting it in your queue if you are a fan of DC comics. I do, however, think this was probably the weakest of their excellent movies to date. That being said, I do not regret buying the Blu-Ray.
REVIEW: The animation style was initially a little weird. I was not overly fond of the voice actors chosen. I think I expect to hear Tim Daly every time I watch a Superman animated movie. I fond the plot ... a bit trite. (I have not read the graphic novel on which the movie is based).
Check out the trailer!
I rented the Chronicle (PG-13, 84 min.) Blu-Ray from Redbox. I had intended to see it at the theater because the concept intrigued me and the buzz was good but it was not playing here (small town, limited selection).
RECOMMENDATION: I would definitely rent or put Chronicle in your Netflix queue. I may actually end up buying this on Blu-Ray—especially if the rumored sequel happens.
REVIEW: The concept is awesome. The execution was ... okay. (I tend to forgive a lot if I find the concept intriguing.) The plot was very straightforward. I think not spending a lot of time on the actual origin was a good choice for this movie ... maybe explore it more in the sequel? The acting was a little weak. The special effects were excellent.
Check out the trailer!
I rewatched The Lost Room (284 min., 2007, Peter Krause as Det. Joe Miller, Julianna Margulies as Jennifer Bloom) for the third (?) time. I still greatly enjoy this mini-series. I see new things I missed the previous times I watched it every time I rewatch it. I wish Sci-Fi (back when it actually tried to be a science-fiction channel!) had made it into a series.
Check out the DVD trailer!
I watched John Carter (PG-13, 132 min.) on Blu-Ray last night. I enjoyed it at the theater and bought a copy to add to my collection.
RECOMMENDATION: I enjoyed it as much on Blu-Ray as I did at the theater. I plan on watching it again with Disney Second Screen*. It is a shame that the movie did not do well in the theaters; I would have liked to see the series continued.
REVIEW: I thought director Andrew Stanton (WALL-E) did a good job. The special effects were incredible. The plot does not exactly follow Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs but I thought the changes were good. The movie moves along at a good pace. The acting was decent to good. Taylor Kitsch as John Carter was decent. Lynn Collins as Dejah Thoris was good (and is always more than pleasant to look at). Willem Dafoe as Tars Tarkas did a great job.
*You can download a free app for your iPad. You sync it with the movie and can view additional content as the movie plays. I tried and liked it when I was watching Bambi.
