Displaying Review 6 - 10 of 24 in total

• Jules Verne. Kind of. Well, ok...not really. — for Journey to the Center of the Earth
  Written by Freudianspud on 29.01.2010

  First off, I should warn you that I like Brendan Fraser films. Seems impossible, I know, but still, I like the guy and the films he's made. That being said, on to the review!

  Journey to the Center of the Earth is the story of Professor Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser, The Mummy) who is still continuing his brother's research on tectonic plate movement, when he gets his little nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson, The Vampire's Assistant) over for a couple of days.
  When Sean's mother drops him off, she hands Trevor a box of his brother's old belongings, which include a book by Jules Verne. You guessed it, it's "Journey to the Center of the Earth".
  Throughout the pages of the book are numerous notes which coincidentally correspond with the three still working sensors Max (Trevor's brother) has placed all around the world. When Trevor and Sean head over to the lab, they find that a fourth sensor has been activated in Iceland and the two decide to go check it out.
  In Iceland, they meet up with mountain guide Hannah Ásgeirsson (Anita Briem, The Tudors) who takes them up the mountain to the sensor. The mountain that is coincidentally mentioned in Verne's book and is supposed to hold an entrance to the center of the earth. The rest is pretty predictable, as you may guess.
  They find the centre of the earth and after a while discover that they have to get the Hell out of there, because the air pocket they're in will be heating up pretty fast and if they don't hurry, they'll be cooked. That's the queue for adventure to start happening.

  All things considered, JttCotE is a pretty generic adventure movie. It's even been done before, at the end of the 50s. Nevertheless it's an entertaining film. Fraser plays his part like he does most parts, using his nervous kind of comedy and subtle stream of one-liners as if he invented them, but it doesn't get annoying. Personally, the movie would've been worse off if anyone else than Fraser played the lead, since he's the perfect guy for semi-adventure comedies, ever since The Mummy.
  Young Hutcherson does a splendid job as the reluctant teenager. It was a relief for me to see that the rebellious nature wasn't kept alive the entire film, but that he warms up to his uncle pretty quickly. Of course, I can imagine that'd happen if you fall a couple of thousands of miles through the crust of the earth. Still, it's a wise choice and it works just fine. The relationship between Trevor and Sean is well played out, without getting too sappy or gag-reflex-inducing.
  The final lead is for Ásgeirsson, who is mostly seen in series like The Tudors and The Evidence. Other than that, this is her third feature film and she handles it with great ease. The back and forth bantering between her and Fraser is pretty standard, but keeps the spirits up and isn't overplayed that much. She knows how to handle herself in an "all-guy" environment set in a prehistoric surrounding and is at times a genuine sight for sore eyes.

  Even though some individual parts are not really up to par, the film as a whole makes for a fun watch and will not disappoint most viewers, unless you can't stand Fraser. It's pretty much what you'd expect to get: an entertaining family flick filled with adventure and clichés, but as I always like to say: a cliché became just that because it just keeps on working.

• Matt Lauer Can Suck It — for Land of the Lost
  Written by Freudianspud on 06.02.2010

  After writing a little bit on Journey to the Center of the Earth, which was obviously inspired by the book of the same title, it seemed fitting that I'd also write something about Land of the Lost, which is also inspired by the book carrying the same title.
  Coincidentally, both films are comedies starring a lead you either like or loathe. In the case of Land of he Lost, it's SNL veteran Will Ferrell (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy) taking the point, followed by Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies), Danny McBride (Pineapple Express) and Jorma Taccone (Also of SNL fame) as the little monkey-boy Chaka.

  The story is about Dr. Rick Marshall (Ferrell), who specializes in time cracks and tachyons, and who thoroughly believes time travel is possible. After being shot down on a major talk show, Marshall is reduced to giving tours at the local tar pit park, until he meets Holy Cantrell (Friel), an ex-Cambridge student who is obsessed by his work and truly believes time travel possible.
  Fuelled by her belief and some convenient proof that parallel universes exist, Marshall builds a machine that can harness the tachyon power and thus opens portals to said universes.
  Much like JttCotE, they stumble across such a portal and end up in another universe together with redneck Will Stanton (McBride). In the process, Marshall's device is lost to serve as a major plot point later on. In this new universe they meet Chaka (Taccone), a primate who turns out to be an overthrown prince, which is mostly irrelevant to the rest of the story.
  The four of them piss off a T-Rex in the process of rummaging through this universe and eventually end up making a deal with a lizard man who claims that he's a scientist set on stopping another, evil, lizard man who is planning to take over the world. He just needs Marshall's tachyon-thing to do it. Go figure.
  It all leads to a wild goose chase through the Land of the Lost in search of the device that will send them home.

  Saying Will Ferrell is almost the same as saying 'uncomfortable humour'. And not in the same sense that Brandon Fraser has his way of uncomfortable humour. Fraser pulls it off in a way that doesn't make you want to punch him in the face so that he'll just shut up. Will Ferrell on the other hand, dominates the film by talking way too much.
  Every single observation he makes as the scientist he's playing is followed by a stream of remarks about said observation which he thinks are true but are immediately countered by whatever he was observing doing the exact opposite of what Ferrell's character was predicting. This goes on through the entire film.
  In fact, most of the entertainment comes from McBride, who plays his role with an air of carelessness that fits the character perfectly. Add to that the back-and-forth camaraderie between him and the monkey boy and you have yourself something to laugh at. Another good save is the female lead. Friel's appearance is one for sore eyes next to Ferrell's uncomfortable posture and saves the story more than a few times. Why she had to have a British accent s beyond me though. Maybe because she studied at Cambridge.

  In it's entirety though, it's an entertaining film. It has dinosaurs, lizard-men, monkey-people and time travel, so something good is bound to happen. Even Will Ferrell can't change that.

• The remotes did the trick — for Aliens in the Attic
  Written by Freudianspud on 12.02.2010

  In the series "Films no one else really wants to write about", I bring you Aliens in the Attic. To be honest, the only reason I saw this film is because of the trailer, which had a bit that had me spraying my drink all over myself. But I'll get to that later.

  Aliens in the Attic is a film for kids, there's no doubt about that. The story goes that a couple of tiny aliens crash land into a house on earth and a bunch of kids who happen to be on vacation in that house have to stop them before there's a full blown invasion. No surprises there, of course.
  There's one thing that makes the whole thing worth your while though. The Remotes.
  The aliens are armed with a weapon that shoots small darts. Those darts, which conveniently only work on adults, allow the aliens to control the human that was shot. You can see where this is going.

  If you guessed "The aliens take over the household with said darts", you guessed wrong. Instead, they hit the obnoxious boyfriend that was hanging around. After that, the kids get a hold of the Remote and of course, hilarity ensues. Now, I know it's a cheap shot, having a guy smack himself in the face over and over again, but it's the way the whole remote-thing is played out. For instance, there's an on/off button, and when it's turned off, the "zombie" snaps back to reality, but has no recollection of what has happened. Also, when the zombie is in use (or paused) he gets a brilliant expression of bliss on his face which had me cracking up every single time. That alone is worth seeing the film. In fact, pay special mind to the end titles. The Remote makes a reappearance which is even more hilarious than any other scenes involving this gadget.

  It also helped that the aliens look pretty decent. The CGI is nicely done and actually interacts with the surroundings smoothly. Even while paying close attention to it, I couldn't find any Garfieldesque screw-ups. You know, that part where Jon's hand actually disappears into Garfield. That didn't happen in Aliens in the Attic.

  In short, it's for the kids, but I had fun watching it. A lot of that credit goes to the remote control sequences, but the story wasn't half bad and there's some decent acting going on. If you like films that remind you of Jumanji or Zathura (which is actually pretty much Jumanji in Space), or if you're just fond of tiny aliens and battles that take a hint from Small Soldiers, then Aliens in the Attic is a fun film to see.
  Also, it helped me solve a couple of snapshots, so if not for entertainment values, you could always use it to crank up your score.

• It's Miller Time! — for The Spirit
  Written by Freudianspud on 12.02.2010

  It's hard to miss the fact that The Spirit is written and directed by the same man responsible for Sin City and 300, namely Frank Miller. The setting, the characters and their dialogues, and most certainly the photography are a dead give-away that the man is at it again. As a result, you get a film which seems to be made for men specifically.

  In a grim Central City, ex-cop Denny Colt (Gabriel Macht, The Good Shepherd) has taken it upon himself to rid the city of crime as the Spirit, a masked hero donning a red tie. Rather than being a vigilante, he's a spy for the police force, even though chief of police Dolan (Dan Lauria, The Waiter) can hardly stand the sight of him. This has to do with the fact that the Spirit is "going through officers like toilet paper", but I'm guessing that the fact that Colt is his daughter's choice of man also plays a part in this.
  This daughter, Ellen (Sarah Paulson, Serenity) also happens to be the Spirit's personal nurse. Not that he needs it, because his wounds heal incredibly fast.
  Opposing the Spirit is the Octopus, a brilliant role by Samuel L. Jackson. The Octopus and his right hand Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson, Iron Man 2) are after a vase. A vase that contains a specific fluid that will perfect a formula designed by the Octopus that will make him immortal.
  Unfortunately that vase is in the possession of Sand Saref (Eva Mendes, Ghost Rider), cat burglar extraordinaire and collector of shiny things, who is in turn looking for the Golden Fleece, which happens to be in the possession of the Octopus. Both items were in identical cases and got mixed up, you see.
  To make it all a bit more complicated, Saref is also Colt's ex-girl. You'd have to see the film for yourself to make any sense of the story though.

  The Spirit is exactly what you'd expect from a Miller film. There's beautiful yet dangerous women, grim anti-heroes, over-the-top villains and plenty of action for everyone to go around. What struck me as different is that The Spirit takes a more comedic approach, whereas Sin City took itself more seriously. In my opinion, it's an improvement. It shows that the film makers themselves know what they were dealing with and had fun dealing with it.
  The dialogues, even though they get a bit long-winded from time to time, are classic Detective Comics material, especially written for these kind of films. They wouldn't fit in anywhere else without coming of as cheesy and cliché. Add to all that a plot that goes up, down, and sideways and you have yourself a bad-ass detective flick with a bit of superhero thrown into the mix.

  The acting done in this film is incredibly entertaining. Jackson as the extravagant Octopus is superb. I was getting tired of seeing him as the same old bad-ass mother fucker he always gets to play, so it was very refreshing to see him play a slightly insane doctor chasing after immortality, which stood in beautiful contrast to the serene role of Johansson, who plays his assistant: an ice-cold scientist void of any emotion.
  Add to that delicious combo a handfull of cloned henchmen with an IQ as high as their shoe size (All played by Louis Lombardi) and you have yourself the perfect evil organisation.
  Then there's the good corner. Macht plays his role as never-ending ladiesman seemingly effortless. His character is probably one that has been made up over and over again, but he gives it his own twist, turning the untouchable hero into a real person with real flaws and weaknesses. Of course, the Spirit needs his own contrasting comrade, which he gets in the form of Dolan, the standard shit-spouting chief of police who can't stand the sight of him, yet can't do without him either. Joining the chief is the rookie Morgenstern (Stana Katic, Quantum of Solace), all pumped up and ready to get to work as the police force's next employee of the month.
  Naturally, no detective flick would be complete without the love story winding through it all. In this case, the love story comes in the form of Eva Mendes. Mendes's character is pretty mich fed up with the puked out city that is Central City and finds herself to be way out of it's, and Colt's, league, so she decides to find her fortune elsewhere. That is, until her most beloved treasure, the Golden Fleece, turns up in her old hometown. The chemistry between Colt and Mendes is hardly there, but she plays her role as it should be played: arrogantly and irresistibly. I can't imagine any man that doesn't wish he had a girl like Sand Saref at one point or another. Nor can I imagine a man that doesn't wish he had a girl like Silken Floss for that matter.

  The Spirit is a real man's film and fits in between Sin City and 300 perfectly. If you're looking for some old-fashioned ass-kicking mixed and if you're not afraid to sit through a bit of long-winded dialogue, then you're at the right address with this flick.

• If it's too loud, you're too old! — for Airheads
  Written by Freudianspud on 13.02.2010

  I'm rather fond of early '90s comedy, if I'm completely honest. Bio-Dome, Wayne's World, The Mask, Dumb & Dumber, Clerks, Ace Ventura...hell, most of those are even made in the same year as Airheads. Yet to me, Airheads stands out. Not because of the brilliant story or Oscar-worthy acting. No, it's because of all these comedies, it seems that Airheads is the one that's most underrated, if not the most forgotten of the bunch. While the others are considered classics to some extent, no one ever speaks a word about the rock band that takes a radio station hostage just to get some airplay.

  That last sentence is the entire premise of Airheads. Three rockers, played by Brendan Fraser, Adam Sandler, and Steve Buscemi, are tired of the world that is the corporate music industry and decide to take matters into their own hands.
  Inspired by the success another local band had after getting some airplay, the three Lone Rangers (the name of the band) head over to the local radio station to have the DJ play their demo on the air. Of course, they make their way into the station by breaking and entering and everything goes downhill from there on out, basically ending with the band holding the employees of the station hostage with plastic water-pistols that look like real guns.
  The station gets surrounded and the police tries to end everything on a good note, while more and more metalheads gather at the radio station to be a part of something that's already gone down in rock 'n roll history.

  The cast is pretty much an all-star one, with Fraser, Sandler and Buscemi leading the pack. Supporting them are several noteworthy names such as Judd Nelson (The Breakfast Club), Chris Farley (of SNL fame), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Harold Ramis (also Ghostbusters), Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds), Michael Richards (Seinfeld), David Arquette (Scream), and Michael McKean (This Is Spinal Tap), which makes for one of the most complete comedy casts of the '90s, if I may say so myself.
  But it's not necessarily the huge cast that does the trick. The thing that does it for me is that it's a film in which all three of the leads weren't really that well known yet. This was before they got type-casted. Before they played the same role over and over again. Of course, this doesn't really go for Buscemi, but Fraser and Sandler haven't really done anything different since they got their big breaks. In Airheads, there's none of that. They don't act like they way we're used to nowadays, they act their parts. Granted, there's already a bit of things to come shining through, but back then, they didn't do it because the director expected them to do it.

  That's what makes Airheads one of my all-time favourites. The story is, to the day, still a fairly original one and we get to see a bunch of actors the way we're meant to see actors: playing a part that wasn't necessarily written specifically for their way of acting. Add to that a soundtrack filled with great rock 'n roll and an impassable supporting cast, well...it just works.