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Iron Man
Iron Man
Ubiquitous summer movie preview
By usesoap in usesoap Blog
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
 "Hear that? That is the sound of countless Botox-enhanced faces within the film industry simultaneously stretching to a smile after the opening weekend of ‘Iron Man.’ As everything else in these current economically shaky times, the film industry hobbled into 2008, weakened by a writers strike and sagging returns. Who would have thought Robert Downey Jr. would be the one to save us from this mess? But in he flew (granted, he was playing a character by the name of Tony Stark, but really, what’s the difference?), cracking $100 million in its first weekend alone. Of course, studio execs are quick to point out all the ‘firsts’ and “biggests’ for the film – the first non-sequel film to reach that benchmark in May; Downey’s biggest opening day ever; the first comic book-inspired film that was released under a waning crescent moon to gross that much; the biggest debut of a character with an incredibly angular goatee… and so on. ... " [More]
Children of Men
Children of Men
Heavy metal
By usesoap in usesoap Blog
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 "While watching the season’s first stab at a blockbuster, “Iron Man,” I kept wondering to myself: “How long did it take lead Robert Downey Jr. to say ‘yes’ to the lead role?” “Hmmm…” Downey said in my internal monologue. “Let’s see here. The character of Tony Stark is a motor-mouthed superhero in his 40s who is a reformed substance abusing, womanizing multi-millionaire… yeah, I think I can swing that.” For the record, the total time for the above ellipses? Three seconds. Regardless of past demons, the film is what it is solely because of what Downey brings to the table. I have always pitied the poor directors who decide to sign on to a superhero comic-book adaptation. They face pressure and scrutiny from more than the average release audience. Their end product has to pass through the judging eyes of: 1) The fanboys (and girls): A group that obsesses over the film’s minutiae (“Flam ... " [More]

'Baby Mama' almost delivers
By usesoap in usesoap Blog
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 "With the glut of features that focus on the fears and foibles of delivery, “Baby Mama” is a few notches above the laborious “Nine Months” and precocious “Juno,” but doesn't breach the mother of modern maternity ward laugh-fests known as “Knocked Up.” “Mama” does deserve credit for dealing with its subject matter from a relatively little-seen on-screen perspective, dealing with infertility and the woes of the working women who choose career over childbirth (though 1987's featherweight “Baby Boom” was an obvious influence here). Reigning geek poster-girl Tina Fey (though they are roughly the same age, it still would be fitting to call her this generation's Janeane Garofolo) stars as Kate Holbrook, who is cursed with the double whammy of hitting the snooze button on her biological clock and the fact that her uterus is a tad hostile toward all incoming eggs. During a brief look at her social life, we can see nothin ... " [More]

Re:Moonshine
By usesoap in From Here To Awesome
"I also thought, Wow, a whole town is fascinated by art that's really dark? Sounds like a premise for an awesome movie, a town that decided to pool its resources and do some really dark "art." That struck me, too. In fact, that kinda fascinated more than the trailer for the film itself, which sort of looked like "Carrie Goes to the Chapel." [/quote] " [More]
Heat
Heat
Over Time
By usesoap in usesoap Blog
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 "How to put this mildly? When Al Pacino gets a call from an anonymous antagonist in the new thriller “88 Minutes” and tells him he has 88 minutes to live, my first thought after looking at Pacino was “Is it his physician? His cardiologist?”Haggard and crinkly as a wadded-up Kleenex, Pacino looks far out of a role that requires him to be a hard-partying, libidinous professor whose musk seems to attract all female students a quarter his age.The film’s opening scene, in which he’s getting jiggy with a roomful of models/students (seriously, are there no ugly kids taking forensics classes in this town?), is far more frightening than anything that follows in this sub-standard serial killer thriller directed by Jon Avnet.Pacino plays Dr. Jack Gramm, a forensic psychiatrist whose professional prowess lands him a sweet gig with the local FBI, a spot on staff at a Seattle university, and an endless receiving line of beautiful young students ready to persona ... " [More]
The Matrix
The Matrix
Takin' it to the 'Street'
By usesoap in usesoap Blog
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 "Sure, it’s good to be the king, be it Henry VII, Billie Jean or Stephen. But there are so-called “kings” of questionable virtue.1) The King of Pop: A dandy whose contributions to the music arts have been eclipsed by his personal predilection for young squires in his kingdom.2) Burger King: Rules by treating his subjects to high-fat, empty-calorie meals; contributes to obesity epidemic; stars in rather creepy commercials where he’s often depicted as a voyeur.3) Chess King: Flagrant violator of many laws of fashion; turns a blind eye while keeping his minions ensconced in garish, pseudo-suave outfits.We can now add the “Street Kings” to the list of those with dubious contributions during their sovereignty. While it possesses a few complimentary attributes, its overall merits are overshadowed by a number of tired cinematic truisms.Keanu Reeves heads a cast of misused and miscast talent in the latest police drama from a man (directo ... " [More]
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
George, George, George of the F ...
By usesoap in usesoap Blog
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 "“Leatherheads” has had a long a storied journey to the big screen, and has mutated into several incarnations in the process.It was once envisioned to be a historically accurate account of football’s earliest innovators, a blood-and-mud saga of gridiron gladiators, and a comedic take on colorful pigskin pioneers.It arrives in theaters as a screwball comedy throwback – cobbled together with romantic subplots, early growing pains of the game, and fictional glimpses into the lives of the sport’s bruising brotherhood.The result is a curious mix that is overstuffed with half-planned protractions of what might have been if director/star George Clooney had remained focused not on merely gaining yardage with small hand-offs of laughter, but on just where the goal line of his film was.Not screwy enough for screwball, not hard-hitting enough for a sports picture, and far-too-slight as a commentary on the souring of the game with all its “rules” and & ... " [More]
Lake Dead
Lake Dead
Dry-docked
By usesoap in usesoap Blog
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 "Hmmm. Horny teens inherit haunted property, spend time in a haunted campsite and are chased and tortured by inbred hilbillies...where have I see this before...? That's right, every freakin' slasher film ever made. Worth it only if you are into granny love and want to see a guy in his 40s French kiss an octagenerian. " [More]
Transformers
Transformers
Is parody on life support?
By usesoap in usesoap Blog
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 "Cinematic parody as it once was is dead. And after much searching and researching, I have found the murderer of this under-appreciated sub-genre of filmmaking. It’s Waldo. Oh sure, the bespectacled, striped-ski-cap-sporting little geek likes to appear anonymous, but I am positive he is to blame for the current slate of “Movie” movies: “Epic Movie,” ”Date Movie” and, most recently, “Superhero Movie.” If he’s not guilty, ask yourself this, why is he always hiding? You see, it is my assertion that the latest generation of filmgoers was weaned on Waldo in their youths. At an early age, they were trained to snoop and search page after page for the skinny little dweeb, and they approach these films much the same way. “Hey, there’s Borat!” “Oh, that’s a reference to ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’” They do not concern themselves with narrative, character development, plot, rationalit ... " [More]
Knocked Up
Knocked Up
Just between me and Hughes
By usesoap in usesoap Blog
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 "Perhaps it’s a certain soft spot for the navigator of my awkward adolescent journey, John Hughes; maybe it’s the affable charisma of lead Owen Wilson (who, even off his game as he is here, is just someone with whom you want to share a beer); or it could be the overall throwback tone of the film’s less-ironic, less-cynical high school setting.Whatever the reason, I quite enjoyed “Drillbit Taylor.Hughes, the arbiter of public school angst, originally scribbled the screenplay for the new comedy and allowed it to languish for the better part of two decades before it was dusted off by reigning comedic king Judd Apatow (“Knocked Up,” “40-Year-Old Virgin”) and his faithful scribes Seth Rogan (“Superbad”) and Kristofer Brown (TVs “Undeclared”). Hughes’ name is not found on any of the credits (acknowledgment is given to his frequent nom de plume of Edmond Dantes), but his style can be felt throughout. With great ... " [More]
Horton Hears a Who
Horton Hears a Who
I'm all ears!!
By usesoap in usesoap Blog
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 "(With apologies to the Geisel Estate)A long time ago, in a faraway land, Some greedy Sneeches were hatching a plan.“Let’s take a kids’ classic and put it on screen!”“We’ ll make more money than this town’s ever seen!”They crept back to their lair, their idea was a cinch.“We’ll make a fortune by adapting ‘The Grinch.’”They laughed and they howled, they were evil but merry.“All we need to do is sign up Jim Carrey!”“It will fall into place, he’s oh-so slap-happy!”But when they were through, the film was quite crappy.Again they retreated, with their wallets all fat.“Let’s do it again, with ‘The Cat in the Hat.’”Mike Meyers will do as the lead feline.But out of the theaters crowds made a bee-line.Folks were onto their ruse, they felt tricked with no treat.“If you adapt Seuss again, it better be sweet!”So then power shifted onto a new crew. ... " [More]
Confessions of a Superhero
Confessions of a Superhero
'Confessions' of dangerous minds
By usesoap in usesoap Blog
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 "Full disclosure, I was a child model. Nothing major, mind you. My biggest claim to fame was hitting the runway with Shari Lewis and Lambchop, if that gives you any point of reference.Once puberty hit, I realized the agency began pushing me into 'costumes.' A Care Bear here (was Surly one of them?), Big Bird there (yet, due to licensing, I was 'Yellow Bird'). After a half-dozen appearances at local toy stores, I realized the gig was not my bailiwick, and that at no time should Darth Vader be made to feel intimidated by a 7-year-old.So it ws with more-than-average curiosity that I watched 'Confessions of a Superhero.'It is tempting to call these glorified panhandlers 'sad' and 'pathetic,' but I think director Matt Ogens cares a wee bit more for his subjects than to take the obvious route of holding them up for ridicule.We witness the range of personalities, from the obsessive (Christopher 'Superman' Dennis, who claims to be the son of ... " [More]