The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies extended edition is even more disappointing than you imagine

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies extended edition is even more disappointing than you imagine

Posted inFilms
Rather than providing the rich, more deliberately paced, character moment-filled version of the movie that Peter Jackson's extended cuts usually provide, The Battle of the Five Armies is even more jam-packed with mindless battles and stupid sights gags. And let me tell you, that kind of sucks. I've perhaps been more forgiving of the Hobbit movies than they deserve. I don't pretend they are great cinema, and readily acknowledge they are deeply flawed to the point of often being downright awful. Still, I love aspects of PJ's cinematic Middle Earth enough so that I let their flaws slide and instead…
Why I think Jurassic World stunk (and you should, too)

Why I think Jurassic World stunk (and you should, too)

Posted inFilms
It was kind of hard to escape Jurassic World this summer. The fourth movie in the Jurassic Park series (though it conveniently ignored the first two sequels), it was a HUGE smash hit, raking in $1.6 billion worldwide and jumping to the #3 spot for all time box office. Even adjusted for inflation, it sits at #23 for all time box office. Not too shabby. What was shabby was this film. And I'm going to tell you why. On paper, I should have fallen head over heels for it. I LOVE dinosaurs. I LOVE dinosaur movies. I LOVE the Jurassic…
Sandra Bullock has a cool (but flawed) approach to closing Hollywood’s gender gap

Sandra Bullock has a cool (but flawed) approach to closing Hollywood’s gender gap

Posted inFilms, Random Musings
It's no great secret that aside from a small handful of silver screen legends, Hollywood is not a place where older women thrive. There have been a slew of complaints about a lack of roles for older actresses -- and in Hollywood, "older" often means "not in your 20s," even for actresses like Anne Hathaway -- a battle cry that has been growing in recent years. While some (like Russell Crowe) say the fault is with the actresses, not the scripts, studies show that in Hollywood, men talk and women show skin. Vulture also took a look at some films and…
X-Men: Days of Future Past is super great

X-Men: Days of Future Past is super great

Posted inFilms, Geek Stuff
This is. The last one, and my marathon is over. Happily, we're ending with a good 'en: X-Men: Days of Future Past What do you get when you mix a nonsensical script, high school level acting, dodgy made-for-TV special effects, and a ridiculously sluggish, sleep-inducing pace? Not Days of Future Past, which is neck and neck with X2 as the best of the seven-film X saga. I mean, what DOESN'T this thing get right? It opens with a bang, showcasing a grim dystopian future and wickedly creative use of mutie powers, plus gruesome mutie death. Logan is quickly sent back…
The Wolverine: The one that doesn’t suck (as much)

The Wolverine: The one that doesn’t suck (as much)

Posted inFilms, Geek Stuff
Another day, another X-movie. By now you should know the drill, so let's go: The Wolverine (unrated extended edition) Poor wittle Wulberine's heart is broken because he stabbed his crush to death, then a Quirky Asian Girl shows up and brings him to Japan, where he fights ninjas and sleeps with gorgeous women. This second Wolverine movie is a huge upgrade from the first insomuch as it's not a colossal pile of excrement. In fact, there is a lot to like here. Exploring the thread's of Jean's death was a good choice. Gettin into Logan's adventures in Japan was a…