Hello fans and enemies alike! I've seen a few new films since last I wrote, so let's not waste anytime!
Terminator: Salvation - The Terminator franchise went from great (Terminator), to badass (T2: Judgment Day), to mediocre (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines). Without fail the Hollywood machine threw one of it's greatest story arcs into the realm of $5 DVD's at Wal-Mart. Terminator: Salvation thankfully lives up to it's name, in turn giving Terminator it's name back. Salvation takes place in a world we only caught glimpses of before. The war with the machines in the post-apocalyptic future of the human race. Christian Bale is John Connor, a very good performance as always, and no one doubted his commitment to acting based on the leaked tirade he unleashed on the set's cinematographer. Early on we are introduced to Marcus, a man of questionable nature with a dark past. Who Marcus is is not nearly as important as what he is. On his quest to find out he runs into a young, couragous, and smart teenager named Kyle Reese. Reese is the first human sent through time, and is also Connor's father. Connor is on a neverending search for Reese, knowing the danger he is in. The script is wonderful, following the characteristics of James Cameron's Terminator films. Acting is superb on all fronts, and of course the effects are spectacular. It's no Terminator 2, but it's damn good. And for those hoping to catch a glimpse of Arnold? Well, I'll just let you watch.
Year One - Jack Black and Michael Cera star in this historical farce from writer/director Harold Ramis (Stripes, Ghostbusters). An overly charismatic hunter (Black) and his awkward gatherer friend (Cera) are banished from their village only to find a much larger, and ultimately dangerous, world around them. From their first run-in with Kane and Abel, to Sodom and Gamorrah, the two idiots are caught in one mess after another. The jokes are light and the only real funny stuff is bathroom humor. Still good for a laugh on rainy afternoon, and a must see for Cera fans. Jack Black is funniest when he is being Jack Black, and he was surprisingly docile through most of the movie. Personally, I'm glad to see proper comedies again instead of all those: 'Disaster Movie', 'Epic Movie', 'Superhero Movie', 'Meet the Spartans'. How on Earth were those movies made!?
I also watched Alien vs. Predator: Requiem a few days ago. The Alien and Predator movies themselves are amazing...at least the first two Alien films...so an Alien vs. Predator film was inevitable, what with all the comics. Unfortunately, it wasn't very good when it came. Even more surprising, they made a sequel! I stayed away, under the assumption it was terrible. Well it wasn't terrible, in fact it was quite good and I really liked it. It is more on par with Predator 2, aliens have landed on Earth and a lone predator lands to hunt them down and destroy all evidence of their being there, pretty cool, he's like a detective who can become invisible. For fans of any of the Alien or Predator films, and for those who hated the first AvP, a definite watch.
Aside from watching movies and writing about them, I also write them myself. Often, depending on what I am writing about, I get suggestions for films that sound an awful lot like what I want to do. One of my lifelong goals is to write a truly epic space western. I know what I want it to look like and be like, but there are a lot of them out there too. In essence Star Wars is, so is Aliens, so I know I've got my work cut out for me. One series people have told me about is Firefly, a short-lived, cult following television series about space faring bank robbers. Very space western. They somehow managed to get a feature film made, and it is called Serenity. I had the opporunity to purchase this film without seeing it, so I did. Very fun movie, I really enjoyed the whole thing, every aspect of it was cool and different, and I'm glad I've seen it. Fortunately my vision is different, so I can enjoy Firefly and Serenity and I've still got hope for myself and my dream.
If it's too hot outside, there's always a nice, air conditioned seat at the theater, or in your home. Enjoy the weather and I'll be back soon!
