Movies today, SA
Last weekend's release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine kicked off the mid-year blockbuster season with a bang. This week we have 4 high profile new releases, a sci-fi action flick, a stop-motion animated film, a raunchy comedy and a video game adaptation.
First up, as if you didn't know, is Star Trek. From Lost and Alias creator J.J. Abrams comes what is essentially a reboot of the iconic sci-fi franchise, beloved by geeks everywhere.
Basically this film chronicles how Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Bones, McCoy, Scotty, Sulu and Chekov all came together for the maiden voyage of the USS Enterprise. I was always more of a Next Generation Trekkie (I've never actually seen an episode of the original series) but I've watched all the old movies and I'm very keen for this interpretation, the eleventh in the film franchise.
Critics have embraced this new Star Trek with a vengeance. It's currently sitting at 94% Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes. Wouldn't it be funny if Star Trek suddenly became cooler than Star Wars?
I'm keen for Star Trek but I'm even more excited about Coraline, based on the creepy children's story by Neil Gaiman, and directed by The Nightmare Before Christmas' Henry Selick.
Like the book this stop-motion animation film is a dark and twisted fantasy in which a resourceful little girl discovers a door to an alternate reality - where everyone has buttons for eyes. Having read the book, I imagine the film is probably a bit too intense for very young children.
Coraline is showing in traditional format and 3-D. It's my viewing priority for the weekend. The movie scored a 88% Fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, and is currently a forerunner for the Best Animated Film Oscar at next year's Academy Awards.
Like the films above I've also profiled Kevin Smith's latest comedy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, before.
This saucy comedy focuses on 2 friends (Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks) who find themselves in financial difficulties. Their solution to the problem? Get into low-budget pornography! The film's title alone stirred up controversy when the movie was released in the United States last year, but considering Zack and Miri is from the writer-director of Dogma, Clerks and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, it's only natural that it would offend on multiple levels.
For the record Zack and Miri Make a Porno scored a 65% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling the film funny (not laugh-out loud hilarious) and very filthy.
Finally out this week is Street Fighter: Legend of Chun-Li. I thought this video game adaptation had already been released locally about 2 months ago, but I guess I was wrong. It must have been delayed. Anyway here's what I wrote back in March about the film:
If that original 1994 movie based on the arcade fighter, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia, wasn't bad enough, now there's a new film starring Smallville's Kristin Kreuk and assorted other "stars" like Michael Clarke Duncan and Chris Klein. Instead of focusing on a fighting tournament, as gamers would expect, this new Z-grade action flick centres on one of the characters, female fighter Chun-Li as she seeks justice. Or vengeance. Or something. 4% at Rotten Tomatoes. Ow!
First up, as if you didn't know, is Star Trek. From Lost and Alias creator J.J. Abrams comes what is essentially a reboot of the iconic sci-fi franchise, beloved by geeks everywhere.
Basically this film chronicles how Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Bones, McCoy, Scotty, Sulu and Chekov all came together for the maiden voyage of the USS Enterprise. I was always more of a Next Generation Trekkie (I've never actually seen an episode of the original series) but I've watched all the old movies and I'm very keen for this interpretation, the eleventh in the film franchise.
Critics have embraced this new Star Trek with a vengeance. It's currently sitting at 94% Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes. Wouldn't it be funny if Star Trek suddenly became cooler than Star Wars?
I'm keen for Star Trek but I'm even more excited about Coraline, based on the creepy children's story by Neil Gaiman, and directed by The Nightmare Before Christmas' Henry Selick.
Like the book this stop-motion animation film is a dark and twisted fantasy in which a resourceful little girl discovers a door to an alternate reality - where everyone has buttons for eyes. Having read the book, I imagine the film is probably a bit too intense for very young children.
Coraline is showing in traditional format and 3-D. It's my viewing priority for the weekend. The movie scored a 88% Fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, and is currently a forerunner for the Best Animated Film Oscar at next year's Academy Awards.
Like the films above I've also profiled Kevin Smith's latest comedy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, before.
This saucy comedy focuses on 2 friends (Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks) who find themselves in financial difficulties. Their solution to the problem? Get into low-budget pornography! The film's title alone stirred up controversy when the movie was released in the United States last year, but considering Zack and Miri is from the writer-director of Dogma, Clerks and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, it's only natural that it would offend on multiple levels.
For the record Zack and Miri Make a Porno scored a 65% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling the film funny (not laugh-out loud hilarious) and very filthy.
Finally out this week is Street Fighter: Legend of Chun-Li. I thought this video game adaptation had already been released locally about 2 months ago, but I guess I was wrong. It must have been delayed. Anyway here's what I wrote back in March about the film:
If that original 1994 movie based on the arcade fighter, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia, wasn't bad enough, now there's a new film starring Smallville's Kristin Kreuk and assorted other "stars" like Michael Clarke Duncan and Chris Klein. Instead of focusing on a fighting tournament, as gamers would expect, this new Z-grade action flick centres on one of the characters, female fighter Chun-Li as she seeks justice. Or vengeance. Or something. 4% at Rotten Tomatoes. Ow!
Comments
And, it wouldn't take much to make Star Trek better than Star Wars. The prequels and the gutting of Clone Wars has pretty much ensured that.