The Machines Will Rise

I am reviewing the long awaited Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines. John Connor (Nick Stahl-Carnivale) is in his 20's now. Judgement Day had been averted when he was a child, but he lives a lonely, solitary existance, just in case. With good reason because this time the machines have sent a female terminator, the T-X (Kristanna Loken-Academy Boyz) back in time, again trying to stop him. Another T-800 (Arnold Schwarzeneggar-Collateral Damage) is sent to protect both Connor, and this time, Kate Brewster (Claire Danes-The Hours), a young woman who's fate in destined to be a part of John's.

For the most part, I enjoyed the third, and likely last, installment of the Terminator movies. The story was a little weaker, relying more on lots of action. It has a great ending, a twist that I wasn't expecting at all. There have been many comments that perhaps there will indeed be a fourth film, but we know what happens in the future. I think the 'villian' in T2 was a stronger machine, the T-X had more potential for being damaged, but I think that the director, Jonathan Mostow, wanted a character that was 'sexy.' Stahl was well cast as Connor, I thought, although I do admit to being a little disappointed that Edward Furlong didn't reprise the role. I look forward to seeing Stahl in the future as he has been someone I've watched for since Disturbing Behavior. Danes was a little weak, but I firmly believe that was largely due to a decided lack of character development for her character. Schwarzeneggar looked great in this film, although he certainly didn't extend his range in any shape way or form. I think one of the main reasons to check this film out is because the trailer is actually kind of misleading, and there is more to it than meets the eye. Worth seeing.


Stahl, Schwarzeneggar and Danes

Rating: 3.5 (out of 5)

Prepare to be blown out of the water

Gore Verbinski brings us The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, starring Johnny Depp (From Hell), Geoffrey Rush (Finding Nemo [voice]), Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings), and Keira Knightley (Bend it Like Beckham). When the governor's daughter Elizabeth (Knightley) is kidnapped by the evil captain Barbossa (Rush), her childhood friend Will (Bloom) teams up with a renegade pirate to save her. What Will doesn't know, and Jack Sparrow (Depp) isn't telling him, is that the captain and his entire crew are under a curse that could mean the death of them.

I expected this movie to be funny, but not in a good way. I was expecting it to be funny in the way that Mariah Carey's Glitter was funny. I was pleasantly surprised, enjoying the film far more than I would have expected. It is a whole bottle of rum, I mean, fun! Depp should give up acting and become a pirate full time, as his Jack Sparrow totally made the movie for me. Rush was, as ever, a great bad guy, and Knightley, while perhaps not wonderful, was pretty good considering the script she personally had to work with. The only disappointment I had was with Orlando Bloom, who is far too pretty to have been cast as a blacksmith/swordsmith. It was a little long, with one two many back and forths in the story, but in all it was a movie I'm glad I saw. It was pure entertainment.


Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow

Rating: 3.75 (out of 5)

Labels: Action, Adventure, Romance

posted by Lisa at 10:48 a.m. |

 
This summer the Angels are back

I'm reviewing McG's Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle. In the second installment, Natalie (Cameron Diaz), Dylan (Drew Barrymore), and Alex (Lucy Lui) are sent undercover to retrieve two missing rings. These are no ordinary rings though. They contain valuable information that reveals the new identities of every person in the FBI's Witness Protection Program. After five of the program's participants turn up dead, only the Angels can stop the perpetrator, using their expertise as masters of disguise, espionage and martial arts. Also starring Bernie Mac (Head of State), Justin Theroux (Zoolander), Robert Patrick (1st to Die), and Demi Moore (Passion of Mind).

Well, I liked it. No, it wasn't as good as the first one. To be honest, Charlie's Angels 2: Full Throttle was an odd combination of The Matrix, a bunch of old Hong Kong flicks, and a fashion show. It sounds odd, I know, and you're probably wondering why I liked it. It was purely fun. I laughed out loud at the sheer silliness of it, and while it will never go down in film history as being a great movie, it gets bonus points for being entertaining. I was again struck at how well cast Barrymore, Diaz and Lui are as the crime fighting duo. Sure rumors of discontent on the set abounded for both films, but hell, they look like they have great comradery on the screen and that's all that matters to me. Mac was probably the only actor I thought was poorly cast, but then again, Bill Murray's shoes are hard to fill. Moore was great as the former Angel gone bad, Madison Lee. After, for all intents and purposes, a six year hiatus from the spotlight, I think getting involved in a guaranteed blockbuster was a good way to make her comeback. If you don't mind silly lines, crazy stunts and over the top, well, everything, you'll really like this film. And even if you don't care for any of that, there are some great shoes.


From left to right: Barrymore, Diaz, Lui and Moore

Rating: 3.5 (out of 5)

This summer... justice is blonde

Director Charles Herman-Wurmfeld brings us another sequel, Legally Blonde 2: Red,White, & Blonde. Harvard graduate Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) is eagerly planning her wedding to Emmett (Luke Wilson). Naturally, she wants everyone to be there, even her dog Bruiser's long lost mother. She is horrified when she discovers that his mother is a lab dog in cosmetics company that her firm represents. Firmly believing that all living creatures need someone to speak for them, she heads to Washington to ban animal testing. But Washington isn't at all what Elle expected. Is she cut out for politics? Also starring Sally Field (Say It isn't So), Bob Newhart (The Sports Page), Jennifer Coolidge (A Mighty Wind), and Regina King (Daddy Day Care).

If you liked the first one, you like Legally Blonde 2. Like the color pink, this film in fun, fluffy and very girlie. Witherspoon shines as Elle Woods, again bringing to life the lawyer/sorority girl with a great sense of fashion. I thought that they would just recycle all the jokes from the first one, but not so. This is one of the best sequels I've seen in a while, which is saying something since this is the summer of sequels. It is fresh, funny, and as charming as the first. A great supporting cast, most notably Coolidge, who isn't given credit for being the comedic genius she is, and King, who is always a pleasure to watch. And there is of course, the clothes. Like the first one, this film will make anyone want to wear pink, and buy shoes.


Field and Witherspoon

Rating: 4 (out of 5)

Labels: Action

posted by Lisa at 10:01 a.m. |