I have seen and been to a lot of movies. I have waited months for a movie to come out and have been there at midnight to be one of the first to see it. I have followed all the news on the production, casting news and looked at photos of the set so grainy they had to have been taken on a cell phone. I can honestly say that I have never been more excited for a movie than I was, and still am, for “The Dark Knight”
The second installment in the Batman reboot finds the caped crusader still hard at work to clean up the streets of Gotham City. The new District Attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), is leading the charge to get the mob off the streets while Batman (Christian Bale) and Lt. Gordon (Gary Oldman) continue their partnership.
Meanwhile a new villain is making his mark on the city. The Joker (Heath Ledger) convinces the mob families that the only way they would be able to stay in business would be to kill Batman. His plan is to throw the city into chaos and use that chaos to kill Batman.
Wayne struggles with what the Joker is doing and with the choices he will have to make in order to stop him. He knows that Batman cannot have limits but Bruce Wayne can and that he might not be able to do what is necessary to stop The Joker. 
Wow. Simply and plainly put. I was tempted to just have that one word be my review. It would save me from having to write a synopsis (always the hardest part of the reviews) and would save you from having to read my rambling. Then I realized there is just too much to say.
The most pressing thing is the performance of Heath Ledger. As many know he died of an accidental drug overdose in January. The most powerful thing about him in this movie is that he disappears into The Joker. He is incredibly creepy, disturbing and psychotic, in a word; brilliant. It is a testament to the actor he was and would have continued to be. He gave The Joker little ticks and voice fluctuations and that is what makes this one of the greatest performances. Even with the pall of his death not once did I see the actor, I only saw the character. That is just how powerful a performance this truly was. 
The other performance that seems to have been overshadowed by the Heath Ledger hype is that of Aaron Eckhart. This movie is really about Harvey Dent’s transformation into the villain Two-Face. Early on Bruce sees Dent as a way to leave Batman behind. As Batman he works with Dent to bring down the mob. Eckhart plays the role of Dent with a lot of charisma so much so that it is shocking to see Dent become the villain, Two-Face and completely change his views. He goes from a man who believes in justice to a man full of anger and willing to take a life all based on a coin flip. Eckhart plays both roles with such ease.
The action sequences are amazing, especially in IMAX. Pay the $10.50 and see it on an IMAX screen, you will not be disappointed. Many of the action sequences were filmed with IMAX film and to see car chases, bank heists, Batman glide from one building to another to get the bad guy are all the better with the IMAX quality picture and sound. 
I do have one bone to pick. Maggie Gyllenhaal, who took Katie Holmes’ role of Rachel Dawes, is a great actress. She was not given much to do in this movie. Here was a chance to give the character more depth and substance and it was missed. Gyllenhaal’s talent is squandered in her first big budget movie. She has been great in so many smaller movies that it is a shame to see the lost potential.
I have now seen “The Dark Knight” twice and plan on at least one more before it leaves the theater. It is not a movie, it is a film. It is art. The performances are as great as any of last years Oscar contenders, the effects are some of the best and the story further proves why the darker Batman is the way to go. If this is not on your summer must-see list then is should be. For me it is worth the wait.
10 out of 10
PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and some menace
Runtime: 2 hrs 32 mins
By this time the majority of you who read this blog (I really hate calling it that) know my stance on musicals. Yes I have made light of the fact that as a guy, musicals are off limits, yes I make jokes about “man cards” being taken away just because I saw a musical. The truth of the matter is I like musicals. I find them entertaining and they do the same job they did back in the 20s and 30s. They are an escape from everyday life. I say all this so that you know I am not using the fact that I am a guy as an excuse.
“Mamma Mia!,” based on the hit Broadway play that used the music of pop super group ABBA, is about a young girl, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who is about to get married. Her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep), has raised her by herself all while running a hotel on an island in Greece. The one thing Sophie wants more than anything is to meet her father. She finds her mothers diary and narrows it down to three men; Bill (Stellan Skarsgård,) Harry (Colin Firth,) and Sam (Peirce Brosnan). 
Unbeknownst to her mother, she invites all three to her wedding in hopes of having her real father walk her down the aisle. It becomes more complicated when she meets them and still has no idea who it is.
I have some issues with this movie and we will get to that in just a moment. First though, the good stuff.
The two standouts of the movie are Seyfried and Streep. They both deliver good performances and can sing with enough talent to get through the movie with ease. They both have the majority of the singing to do and nail it each and every time.
Being I am more a drama guy than a musical one, I loved the relationship between mother and daughter. They are very close, but each is keeping a secret from the other. Sophie does not tell her mother she invited her “fathers” and Donna does not want her daughter to know that her “fathers” are at the hotel. The way they both tiptoed around the issue and worked to keep the three men hidden from the other was interesting. Sophie loves her mother very much and wants to stay near her, but she also wants her own life. Donna knows she will have to let go eventually, but does not want to.
Now for the bad. Pierce Brosnan cannot sing to save his life. It was so bad I wonder how much he had to bribe the director to be in the movie. It is fine if he is in the chorus, but he has two solos/ duets.
ABBA was one of the most popular pop groups ever and it is reflected in their music. It is all pop. The problem is I hate pop music. Some songs were catchy enough that I may still be humming them silently to myself, but most just annoyed the hell out of me.
I will openly admit to liking musicals but I have to draw the line somewhere. While certain performances were good, most were not. Some songs I liked, but most I did not. It did not blow me away and to be honest, I could have waited until a car ride to Columbus to see it on DVD. Long and short of it is, “Mamma Mia” is just not my type of musical.
6 out of 10
Rated PG-13 for some sex-related comments
1 hr 48 mins
Back in 2003, amid the flurry of superhero movies that were being released a movie that would become the standard of how not to make a comic book movie hit the theaters. It was “The Hulk.”
Critics and fans hated it.
Director Ang Lee said it almost killed his career.
So why would another one even be attempted?
In my opinion a few reasons: the newly formed Marvel Studios wanted to show how they wanted thier character done, and two, if the Avengers movie is going to happen, people need to like the Hulk.
Plus with Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/ The Hulk, how could it not be good?
“The Incredible Hulk” follows Bruce Banner (Norton) as he is in hiding in Brazil. He has removed himself from society because when he gets angry, another side of him comes out, a side best kept hidden. As he works on finding a cure for the gamma radiation the United States government is hunting him. General Ross (William Hurt) and his team will not stop until Banner is in custody. He enlists the help of Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) in the hopes of getting Banner back to the States. 
When Blonsky sees what Banner becomes he wants in on exactly why the US wants Banner. General Ross arranges for Blonsky to get injected with a subatance that will make him as powerful as The Hulk. He begins to want more and eventually becomes Abomination and lets loose on New York City. The only thing that can stop him is what lies inside Banner.
This is not a sequel. It is a reboot of a franchise. What “Batman Begins” did for Batman, this is supposed to do for The Hulk. At least for me, it has worked.
They took what was an easily forgettable movie and made it better. I was ready to write this off as another crappy comic book movie and was not planning on seeing it save one reason; Edward Norton. 
I will admit it, I have a man crush on Norton. He is an amazing actor and makes everything he is in better just because he is in it. Movies like “Fight Club,” “American History X,” “The 25th Hour” just to name a few were all the better because of him. He plays a much better Bruce Banner than Eric Bana did in the 2003 version. Norton’s Banner knows that for the safety of all, he must stay hidden. He does not want to risk hurting people when he loses control. He chooses a life of solitude. While in Brazil he works at a bottling plant and sees a female coworker being harassed by a group of men. He walks away, knowing that if he gets involved there may be a chance of The Hulk making an unwelcome appearance. He rethinks it and helps her. He is on the verge of becoming the Hulk when the foreman intervenes.
Where the movie really separates itself from the 2003 version is in the look. Just look at how the new Hulk looks compared to the older one. This Hulk looks less like a cartoon and more realistic.
They even have some fun at the expense of some of the classic Hulk iconography. Banner is show a pair of purple pants by his former girlfriend Elizabeth Ross (Liv Tyler) and he says there is no way he is going to wear them. Even the classic “you won’t like me when I’m angry” gets a slight twist. When is confronts the group of men harassing the woman he tries to say it in Spanish, but instead says, “you won’t like me when I’m hungry.” Leaving the men very confused. 
Is this an amazing comic book movie like “Iron Man?”
No.
Is it better than the 2003 version?
By leaps and bounds.
As with “Iron Man,” there is a scene that will eventually lead to a sequel, or in this case The Avengers movie. At the very end Tony “Iron Man” Stark shows up to talk about a team that is being put together.
8 out of 10
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence, some frightening sci-fi images, and brief suggestive content
114 min
In the past few years there has been a revival of the movie heroes of old. Rocky Balbola, John Rambo, John McClane have all graced the silver screen ten or more years since the last movie. None excited me more than the return of Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones Jr. this past May. 
The movie opens with Indiana (Harrison Ford) being forced to help the Soviets and Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) find the crystal skull within Area 51. When he escapes he thinks his troubles are over, but when Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), tells him that his mom has been captured and that he has a coded message from an old friend Professor Harold Oxley (John Hurt), he finds himself once again fighting to keep an ancient artifact safe from evil.
Indy decides to help by finding the crystal skull before the Soviets. The Soviets get wind of this and catch up with Indy and force him to take them to the ancient Myan city where the skull’s power can be unleashed. They use Mutt’s mom, and Indiana’s old flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allan) to get him to cooperate.
We all know Harrison Ford can act and he does a great job with the action even at the ripe old age of 65. Shia Labeouf adds very little to the series and comes off as a guy who is trying to be like Marlon Brando from “The Wild One” Look at any pictures of his character and you will know what I mean. It is awesome to see Karen Allen reprise her role as Marion. The action is worthy of the Indy name.
Now that I got all that out of the way, I need to address what I know will be issues with fans of the originals. 
Many fans are going to be very very angry at this movie. Many will see it as a horrible addition to the Indiana Jones franchise. There is more computer animation than in the others, “the MacGuffin” (the item the movie revolves around. The Ark of the Covenent, The Holy Grail for example) is not a very good one for this type of movie. The end of the movie will and has sent fans into fits of rage.
Here is what you have to realize; it is only a movie.
If you go into the theater expecting it to be the best of the series, you will be disappointed. It is the weakest of the series, but it was still very enjoyable. All the things that made the originals great; action, mystery, humor, drama and Indiana Jones over coming the odds are still there, but they do not work to the same effect as the once did.
It may not be the best resurgence of an old hero, it may annoy many of the fans, but it is still a great popcorn flick and is worth the trip to the theater. While it was nice to see Indy back on the big screen, more could have been done to make the story stronger and the action less reliant on the computer.
7 out of 10
Rated PG-13 for adventure violence and scary images.
122 min
A few years ago, on a whim, I went to see “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” I had no real intention of seeing it in the theaters, but a friend wanted to see it, so that is what I did. I was surprised at how much I liked it.
The sequel, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” was released earlier this month and it was just as good, if not better, than the first.
It has been one year since the Pevensie children, Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley), visited the magical land of Narnia. On their way home from school one day, they are called back to once again help bring peace to Narnia.
It is not the land they left, Narnia is 1300 years older and is in chaos. The Telmarines have taken over and have pushed all non-human residents of Narnia into the forest. King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto) wants his newborn son to have the power so he sets out to kill his nephew Prince Caspian (Ben Barns). While on the run from his villainous uncle, Caspian blows a horn given to him by his teacher and is summons the Pevensie children back to Narnia.
I never read the second book, so I cannot tell you how close this stuck to the source material, but it was a great, interesting, intriguing story either way.
As much as I am trying to get back in to the groove of writing reviews, it is hard to do when the part of the movie I want to talk about is basically a rehash of what I just wrote in the last review. The visuals were stunning in this movie and they had the story to back it up.
The visual elements are some of the best I have seen, and I do not just mean all the things done with computers. The makeup used for the characters is another stunning element. The world of Narnia is inhabited with all sorts of creatures and the people from WETA Workshop, made famous when they did all the costumes and makeup for the Lord of the Rings movies, did an amazing job. Each creature, no matter how minor, has a different look from others of its kind.
Despite the PG rating, this is not a PG movie. There are three huge fight scenes and, were the rating any higher, they would have been bloody battles. Some of the images could easily scare children. The movie is much darker than the original.
The movie is just as good in every aspect as the first. It may be darker, but that should not discourage you from bringing children to see it. It is a movie that all ages will enjoy. Kids will love the creatures, adults will like the story as well as the visual elements.
8 out of 10
Rated PG for epic battle action and violence
144 min
