Movies Watched Lately
The American Summer Movie session is slowly gearing up, and with international release dates as they currently stand in South Africa we’re pretty much going to be seeing the same films, at the same time as they’re showing in the States.
Anyway, Ron Howard’s The Da Vinci Code opens this weekend, and while I see the film as a pretty pointless exercise (if you’ve read the book you know all the twists that make the religious thriller-mystery entertaining), I’m still grinding my teeth over the casting of Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon.
Robert Landon is supposed to be a middle-aged thinking woman’s hottie, which Hanks, with his large forehead and receding hairline, most definitely is not. Ideally, if this was 15-20 years ago, Landon would have been played by Harrison Ford. But last night I had a contemporary casting brainwave: Hugh Jackman. Perhaps a bit young, but he’s sexy and a good actor! He’s my Robert Langdon.
Anyway, I’ve seen a few films at the cinema in the last few weeks.
The Wild
Disney and Dreamworks have always been in something of a boxing match in the Computer Animation stakes- Bug’s Life vs. Antz, Monster’s Inc vs. Shrek, Finding Nemo vs. Shark’s Life, and, now, The Wild vs. Madagascar.
I’m happy in this case to award the round to Disney’s The Wild. While far from a perfect family film (there are several sequences of out-of-control silliness), the storyline is far stronger in The Wild than Madagascar.
While the mandatory celebrity voice cast is used, the characters, and not the actors, are the focus of the film. Highlights in this area are William Shatner as a power mad, choreography-obsessed wildebeest and British comedian Eddie Izzard as a koala frustrated by his ‘cute’ reputation.
Plus, with the exception of a troop of dung beetles, the animation in The Wild is far more realistic than the stylisation of Madagascar’s characters and world. The lions, in particular, are stunningly well depicted.
Mission Impossible 3
I hated the first 2 Mission Impossible films as overly complicated sexist fantasies, so naturally they did exceptionally well at the box office. Mission: Impossible 3 finally presents a stylish action film with a heart, gets good reviews… and tanks financially. Go figure!
Although the film spirals out of control a bit towards the end, and at times you really need to suspend your disbelief when it comes to plot holes, M: I3 is otherwise a taunt, entertaining action thriller. With a touch of comedy even.
Although Tom Cruise seems to have gone off the rails in real life, he’s still a comfortable presence on screen, and certainly knows how to keep audiences entertained. In a smart move he’s backed up by an appealing support team that includes Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Laurence Fishburne, Maggie Q, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Kerri Russell proves she can quite competently kick ass on the big screen while Michelle Monaghan operates as the love interest caught up in the revenge schemes of a surprisingly sinister Philip Seymour Hoffman.
If you’re in the market for a cool, action flick, Mission: Impossible 3 should satisfy your needs.
Anyway, Ron Howard’s The Da Vinci Code opens this weekend, and while I see the film as a pretty pointless exercise (if you’ve read the book you know all the twists that make the religious thriller-mystery entertaining), I’m still grinding my teeth over the casting of Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon.
Robert Landon is supposed to be a middle-aged thinking woman’s hottie, which Hanks, with his large forehead and receding hairline, most definitely is not. Ideally, if this was 15-20 years ago, Landon would have been played by Harrison Ford. But last night I had a contemporary casting brainwave: Hugh Jackman. Perhaps a bit young, but he’s sexy and a good actor! He’s my Robert Langdon.
Anyway, I’ve seen a few films at the cinema in the last few weeks.
The Wild
Disney and Dreamworks have always been in something of a boxing match in the Computer Animation stakes- Bug’s Life vs. Antz, Monster’s Inc vs. Shrek, Finding Nemo vs. Shark’s Life, and, now, The Wild vs. Madagascar.
I’m happy in this case to award the round to Disney’s The Wild. While far from a perfect family film (there are several sequences of out-of-control silliness), the storyline is far stronger in The Wild than Madagascar.
While the mandatory celebrity voice cast is used, the characters, and not the actors, are the focus of the film. Highlights in this area are William Shatner as a power mad, choreography-obsessed wildebeest and British comedian Eddie Izzard as a koala frustrated by his ‘cute’ reputation.
Plus, with the exception of a troop of dung beetles, the animation in The Wild is far more realistic than the stylisation of Madagascar’s characters and world. The lions, in particular, are stunningly well depicted.
Mission Impossible 3
I hated the first 2 Mission Impossible films as overly complicated sexist fantasies, so naturally they did exceptionally well at the box office. Mission: Impossible 3 finally presents a stylish action film with a heart, gets good reviews… and tanks financially. Go figure!
Although the film spirals out of control a bit towards the end, and at times you really need to suspend your disbelief when it comes to plot holes, M: I3 is otherwise a taunt, entertaining action thriller. With a touch of comedy even.
Although Tom Cruise seems to have gone off the rails in real life, he’s still a comfortable presence on screen, and certainly knows how to keep audiences entertained. In a smart move he’s backed up by an appealing support team that includes Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Laurence Fishburne, Maggie Q, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Kerri Russell proves she can quite competently kick ass on the big screen while Michelle Monaghan operates as the love interest caught up in the revenge schemes of a surprisingly sinister Philip Seymour Hoffman.
If you’re in the market for a cool, action flick, Mission: Impossible 3 should satisfy your needs.
Comments
Didn't you enjoy Madagascar? I loved that movie (seen it a few times).
And Hugh Jackman, yummy! I'd cast him in my film.