Summer movies revisited
“X-Men: The Last Stand” Grade: B-
Reviewed by Casey T. Allen
It’s unfortunate that Bryan Singer, the director of the two previous “X-Men” films, didn’t direct this third and final installment of the successful comic book adaptation. You can tell that someone else is steering the ship in this film. Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour”) served as the new director for “The Last Stand,” and the action-packed escapade falls short probably due to his lack of efficient multitasking. Too much content was shoved into too little time, making the film story-packed as well.
In the final chapter of the “X-Men” series, a new drug is produced by a pharmaceutical company which can “cure” people of their genetic mutations, consequently making them like everyone else.
This helps to highlight some thought-provoking societal implications, which we all experience today, concerning race, gender, religion, and sexuality. Magneto (still brought to life by the noble Ian McKellen) continues to develop terrorist schemes in response to mutant oppression, and Jean Grey (played by a blazing, steely-eyed Famke Janssen) returns from the dead to wreak a havoc of her own. Also thrown into the mix are a slew of new mutants, each with their own sub-plot and personal history.
There are many unforeseen surprises throughout this film which help to make up for its plain imbalance of action and character development. But there are so many different storylines trying to be nurtured simultaneously that the whole film ends up being overstuffed. At least all of the actors do their best to keep it interesting despite the somewhat scatterbrained result.
“The Devil Wears Prada”
Grade: B+
Reviewed by Casey T. Allen
Based on the 2003 memoir by Lauren Weisberger, this coming-of-age film offers plenty of fluff to go around. Full of light-hearted humor and super chic outfits, it has a lot of fun on the surface but not much going on underneath.
Anne Hathaway (“Ella Enchanted”) fits the mold nicely as a plucky college graduate whose search for a dream journalism career brings her to a meager position working at Runway, a fictitious fashion magazine, in New York City. Meryl Streep (“A Prairie Home Companion”), marvelous as always, plays the editor of the magazine and delivers her performance with the smoothness of a cobra, with just as much poison and just as much silence.
This film doesn’t take us into any new territory. Hathaway’s character gradually nestles into the new job and experiences the stressful, unglamorous atmosphere of the “behind-the-scenes” fashion world.
Along the dazzling, form-fitting journey, she battles issues of managing personal and professional life while still remaining herself.
Can it be done? You probably already know the answer.
Even though the film as a whole is rather trite and shallow, Streep’s icy performance makes the film much more fun than it needs to be and far from mediocre. Emily Blunt (“Irresistible”) also contributes with an eccentric, biting performance.
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”
Grade: C
Reviewed by Casey T. Allen
After seeing this film, I stayed in my seat to read the closing credits and listen to the bold musical score. (Once the film ended, there was a lot to take in.)
Since the lists of cast and crew for this film are nearly endless, I had ample time to think. I had hoped to see someone’s name in the closing credits whose job title was “Restrainer.”
Someone who had the job to chime in and say things like, “Maybe we should shrink down the threesome sword-fighting scene from 15 minutes to 5,” or “I think it would be a better idea to show the sea monster pulling only 12 helpless pirates into the sea instead of 20 helpless pirates.” The full-time restrainer could even have said things like, “That’s going to be too many plot twists. And we already have too many different characters to keep track of.” Evidently, there was no full-time restrainer hired to work on this film. And I should know. I examined the credits quite thoroughly. The lack of a restrainer for this film is a tragedy though, because that’s just what this film was in need of.
Boasting some of the most amazing special effects ever produced, and a seemingly never-ending string of innovative action sequences, “Dead Man’s Chest” has all of the same stuff as the first “Pirates” film, only much more. With a bounty of surprises and new, creepy sea-farers, the film just has too much. For this film, being so over-ambitious is bad form.
“Lady in the Water”
Grade: C-
Reviewed by Casey T. Allen
Director, M. Night Shyamalan (“Signs”) is back with another scary, surprising film. His surprise for us this time is that this film is not scary or surprising like we would expect. With maybe one moment that induces a healthy jolt in the audience, “Lady in the Water” turns out to be a bland, self-absorbed venture for the director.
Taking the storyline’s concept from a bedtime anecdote Shyamalan used to tell his children, a quiet, humble superintendent (Paul Giamatti “Cinderella Man”), who works at an equally quiet and humble apartment complex, discovers something odd dwelling in the complex’s pool. It turns out to be a weird lady who proclaims to be from “the blue world,” and needs the superintendent’s help to get back home. (Being a dreamy-eyed water creature, she calls herself a narc.) After enlisting the help of various tenants in the apartments he repairs, the now courageous superintendent goes on a dangerous quest to save his new friend.
Although this film is set in Philadelphia, it is drenched with fantasy as we are slowly exposed to a concealed world of strange creatures, curses, and laws that prevent the frail narc lady from returning home.
Cinematography is eerie at times and the performances have as much integrity as the actors can muster. But mixing fantasy elements with the real world in such an unabashed manner just doesn’t work for this film. It ends up appearing choppy and cheesy. Hopefully, Mr. Shyamalan won’t be trying so hard to be creative for his next film.
“Poseidon”
Grade: B-
Reviewed by Di Lewis
“Poseidon” was a painful reminder of the vow I made after “Titanic” to not see movies with large sinking boats in them.
As action movies go, it probably wasn’t too bad. “Poseidon” had the requisite explosions, people falling from great heights and a gorgeous girl in a soaking wet T-shirt, but still left a lot to be desired.
The basic plot line: tidal wave hits cruise liner and knocks it upside down, a handful of rebellious people with dubious histories decide to escape their own way, a bunch of brushes with death happen, followed by screaming, kissing and drama.
The special effects were decent. There were a lot of realistic big fireballs and computer-generated debris to add to the chaos of the disaster.
However, the acting relied less on the actors’ skills as thespians and more on Emmy Rossum and Mike Vogel’s good looks and the fast-paced action to distract the viewer from how lackluster the acting was.
Overall, it was an OK movie for killing a few hours, but a high quality film for the ages, it was not.
Superman Returns
Grade: B-
Reviewed by Steve Shinney
Superman Returns is what every Superman movie should be: simple, predictable and fun.
The plot is a familar one with Lex Luthor (brought to life expertly by Kevin Spacey) being evil and lots of Superman doing what he does best, namely flying, catching and heavy lifting
Bryan Singer’s take on the man of steel is filled with references both subtle and obvious to previous Superman films and comic strips.
Unfortunately what makes Superman feel so comfortable also keeps it from truely flying. Nothing news is really done becuase there’s nothing he hasn’t already done.
An all around fun movie but not what we’ve come to expect after being spoiled by last year’s “Batman Begins.”