Holy crap what a May. I cant’ remember a May in recent memory that was this good and this big. Remember last year? There was Iron Man, Speed Racer (ahem, bombed), Prince Caspian, Indy 4 and Sex in the City. Not what I would call a stellar line up. That came in July. But this year, with Wolverine, Star Trek, Angels & Demons, Terminator Salvation and UP it was non-stop entertainment all month long. Let’s take a look at how they did.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine – Mired in issues, leaks, studio involvement and development issues, I thought that it turned out pretty well. The much anticipated origin story of Wolverine – the one character Marvel has chosen to focus on from X-Men – came the movie most people thought they should have made after the first X-Men. Despite significant technical issues, the movie still stood on what it should have stood on – its story. A story that, while relatively new to the Marvel Universe and pissed off most extreme fanboys, was an excellent character study made perfectly for telling an origin. Bottom Line: Mostly Awesome. Original review here.
Star Trek – This movie blew me out of the water. Like completely. I truly didn’t expect a movie that would excite me, entertain me and make me cry the way this one did. My only hope is that they will continue to make more. Despite the fact that it is a “reboot”, a term and concept I like less and less, it was funny and engaging with just enough nostalgia to make it perfect. I think that this proves once and for all that we need to stop letting fanboys make movies, instead erring on the side of those with vision for the project. I didn’t review this movie formally because a review that simply said “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my god it’s sooooooooooooooooooooo good!” wouldn’t be particularly useful, although many of my friends have dared me to do it. Bottom line: 100% Pure Awesome.
Angels & Demons - After the DaVinci Code, no one expected very much. Despite the fact that TDVC made a ton of money, it was pretty awful, but to be fair, it was a pretty awful book too. Angels & Demons was a better book and, thus, a better movie. I think it found its strength in how much it differed from the novel, something that gave it its own life and added a little bit of mystery for the viewers who had read it. Tom Hanks returned to his former glory as the everyman with a hint of something else. I had a really good time even though a lot of people thought it wasn’t fantastic. Bottom Line: Awesome. Original review here.
Terminator Salvation – Biggest let down of the month. After waiting 25 years to see the war and who John Connor would become, we were left with stunning visual effects that only served to distract the mind from the fact that John Connor turns out to be a weenie who says his name all the time, leaving us to like a Terminator better and turning to a television show to stop the gap in our need for this continuing story. Bottom Line: Definitely NOT awesome. Original review here.
Drag Me to Hell – I’m including this movie in the ‘Big May Movies’ because, while it has been passed over by the moviegoing public’s collective disinterest in it, it certainly should be included. Bringing us back to a level of horror that hasn’t been seen in a long time with, incidentally, a NEW story and the return of Raimi to the genre he loves and does so well, certainly should not be overlooked. Bottom Line: Supremely awesome. Original review here.
UP – This movie surprised me just as much as Star Trek did. It turns out that it’s actually about something else and is very adult. I think that Pixar has achieved something in animation and storytelling not achieved by both of those things up to now. Certainly, I didn’t expect to be sitting in a theatre balling my eyes out at a movie about a guy who makes his house a ship with helium balloons. It has really stuck with me and will continue to do so. The “Best Animated Feature” catergoy at the Oscar’s is not good enough for this movie, although it will undoubtedly win. Bottom Line: Supremely awesome. Original review here.
Best of the Month: Star Trek.
Runner Up: Drag Me to Hell.
Most Surprising: Star Trek.
Runner Up: UP (tee hee).
Most Disappointing: Terminator Salvation. Duh.
Runner Up: Wolverine, but really only the effects.
Movie I’m Most Likely to Buy Immediately on DVD: Drag Me to Hell. It better have good extras.
Runner Up: UP, Star Trek & Wolverine.
Most Recommended: Drag Me to Hell.
Runner Up: Star Trek.
What say you? What did you think of this May? Your favorites? What did you hate on?
I only saw “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, “Adoration” and “Polytechnique” this month in theatre. To put it plainly, I didn’t feel that I wasted my money this month.
Although I gave to “Wolverine” film a rating of 2.5/5, I enjoyed watching it for the entertainment that it provided, naturally. This means that the script is not that bad. However, even though the film documents quite well the way how Wolverine got his adamantium skeleton, it didn’t deal a lot with the development of some characters’ personality. In fact, I’d have liked to see an elaborate explanation about why Sabretooth can’t suppress his thirst for violence. Finally, if you appreciate Danny Huston, don’t miss his performance as Samuel Adams in the HBO miniseries “John Adams” (provided that you’re a history buff like me).
Secondly, as for “Adoration”, it’s not the best film from director Atom Egoyan, but the film is okay. In fact, there were times when I felt that Egoyan’s script doesn’t focus enough on the main character’s motives for lying about his father’s true identity. Besides, I don’t need to say how much I was touched by “Polytechnique”. In fact, for this month, I’ll designate this film as my favourite one since it’s practically flawless.
These are some interesting notes. I sort of posted a review of Polytechnique and I didn’t see Adoration, even though there’s no reason why I shouldn’t other than I’m not a huge Egoyan fan. I respect him, but I don’t enjoy him. Can anyone enjoy him? Thanks for that note about the John Adams HBO special. I’ve been meaning to see that for some time. I mean Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti? And now I find out Danny Houston’s in it too? Yeah, I’m getting to that soon for sure.
“[...] I didn’t see Adoration, even though there’s no reason why I shouldn’t other than I’m not a huge Egoyan fan. I respect him, but I don’t enjoy him. Can anyone enjoy him?”
Besides “Adoration”, I’ve only seen two other films from him, which are “Where the Truth Lies” and “Felicia’s Journey”. If you ask me to name my favourite movie directors, I’ll mention Atom Egoyan for sure. Of course, I recognize that his films are not aiming for entertainment (the pace of his films speaks for itself) and not all people are fans of dramas. As for “John Adams”, I liked the miniseries. However, in my opinion, the most interesting episodes are the one taking place before the thirteen colonies’ independence. Have fun with it.
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