Movies

Burn After Reading

I went to see “Burn After Reading” a couple of weeks ago. I had a feeling that it should be rather good, because it was directed by Cohen brothers, who directed, produced, and wrote screenplays for quite a few good movies (“No Country for Old Men”, “O Brother, Where Art Though?”, “The Big Lebowski”, “Fargo”, “The Hudsucker Proxy”, and more). Also, the cast for this film was interesting – George Clooney, John Malkovich, Brad Pitt, and a few other names you know. And, of course, there was a cool trailer.

The film was excellent, but it wasn’t quite what I expected. I thought (based on the trailer) it would some sort of comedy action, with a bit of crime. And it sort of was. But. I don’t even know how describe it. It was funny but very sad film. Or a very sad film, which was funny. I guess that just doesn’t make any sense, but that what it was.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. Especially with all the good acting, interesting story telling, camera work, and even more good acting. An 8 out of 10 and strongly recommended.

Kung Fu Panda

Being a great of kung fu movies, I aboslutely had to see “Kung Fu Panda“. Even though it is an animation, it still features Jackie Chan and lots of kung fu training and fights. I don’t know what it is about kung fu movies that drags me in and occupies my attention, but it’s always the same. And “Kung Fu Panda” was no exception.

And it wasn’t a disappointment. Great animation, good humor, and the best of kung fu – it’s all there. The last dumpling fight is up there with the rest of the best kung fu fights. And an extra point for choosing the animals for characters and kung fu styles. Lots of fun.

Overall, a 7 out of 10. Recommended for any fans of animation, Jack Black, or kung fu movies.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Yesterday I went to see “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor“. I thought that the previous two movies (“The Mummy” and “The Mummy Returns“) were entertaining, so I was looking forward to this one. However, there were quite a few reviews that mentioned that this sequel sucked. That got me into doubts whether I should see it at all or not, but finally I decided to go.

The flick wasn’t bad at all. It was somewhat crowded with characters, and the plot was sort of weak, but the important stuff was still there – mummy, Brendan Fraser, and tonnes of special effects. Shooting, fighting, car chases, airplanes, zombie battles, exposions – these were all in excess.

But the critics were somewhat right. This wasn’t as good the previous mummy movies. First of all, the mummy itself wasn’t strong or scary. In the previous films, the Egyptian mummy was so powerful that it was making warriors out of sand dunes, commanding millions of flash eating beatles, and moving stormy clouds in formations. A hero had to fight that mummy, because it was too devastating before it was even getting into its full powers. In this film though, the mummy was more like a pissed off guy getting his life back. Whoever gets on his way was getting his butt kicked. There was some potential for evil afterwords, but it’s just not the same. Secondly, Rachel Weisz wasn’t in this movie, and she couldn’t have been substitute by anyone. Not in a million years. Thirdly, there was something obviously dogdy about the storyline itself. It felt like the good guys has become the bad guys, and the bad guys has become the good guys. And since it wasn’t going very well on its own, some really bad dialogues and mottos were added to the mix. And that didn’t mix that well.

Overall, I’d give it a 6 out of 10. Not a bad entertainment flick if you are to see it in the movies, but don’t be expecting much out of it, and I doubt that it’s worth a DVD purchase.

P.S.: There is no way Brandon Fraser could win a fight against Jet Li. No way!

Be Kind Rewind

These days there isn’t much choice of what to watch in the movies. So I ended up at “Be Kind Rewind“. It’s a comedy with Jack Black and Mos Def, both of who are often funny. Also, I wanted to see how Danny Glover is doing these days, since the last time I saw him was in “Lethal Weapon 4” or so.

“Be Kind Rewind” is a bit of an akward film. It’s funny, it’s sad, it’s cheap, and it’s kind. Some parts of it are so hilarious that I was laughing out loud. Yet other parsts of it don’t make any sense at all. Some scenes follow each other naturally, yet some other feel like they were glued together very roughly.

Overall, I’ll give it a 6 out of 10. Not something that I would strongly recommend, but not your regular movie experience either.

The Dark Knight

The other day I went to see “The Dark Knight“, also known as the latest story in the series about Batman. I am not a big fan of superhero comics, with Batman being no exception. But I’ve seen all the movies so far.

I have to say that this one was the worst. It was too long and too boring. It had great cast, but that didn’t help the film one bit. There are a few special effects, but the overall boredom burries them in the long propagandic dialogues. In fact, the movie is total crap except for one bit, which makes it worth watching – The Joker.

Heath Ledger did an excellent job with this character. It was by all means the best villain I’ve ever seen in the movies. Heath Ledger even outdid Jack Nicholson, who played The Joker in “Batman” (1992). Heath’s Joker was the scary kind. That person was so evil and … broken, that you wouldn’t want him to exist on this planet at all. But, at the same time, he was so realistic that you could easily meet somebody very similar (minus the make-up, of course) just around the corner. Really, a masterpiece.

As it stands, it’s difficult to rate this film. I’ll give it a 5 out of 10, with all 5 points being for The Joker alone. If you aren’t into movie villains, avoid this film at all costs.