Three distinctly different movies to review this time around. If you've come here looking for comic books and action figures, sorry to disappoint you. I'll get back to that stuff next time (maybe).
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Prince of Persia : The Sands of Time
The best way I can describe this film is Pirates of the Carribean on dry land. As that film showed, you can take an already established franchise (in the case of Pirates a theme park ride; P.O.P. being based on a best-selling videogame) and plug it into a tried-and-true (or trite-and-true?) moviemaking formula and milk it for hundreds of millions of dollars....or billions with the right multi-layered marketing/merchandising strategy.
As with all Jerry Bruckheimer films, don't expect any originality - or historical accuracy either (no need to mention how insulting it must be to Persian/Arabic people in general). All of the scenes flow smoothly enough but the storyline is just another cut-and-paste 'adventure blockbuster'. (*Insert hero here*)
I really don't care how buff Jake Gyllenhaal got for this film, and I don't care that he probably made more money from this film than any other he's in. His faux-British accent is poorly done and at most times extremely annoying. Ben Kingsley is wasted here too; it's obvious from the first scene featuring him that he'll be the bad guy. (Sorry for the spoiler, but I don't think you should bother with the movie anyway). I can't believe how this guy who once won the Oscar for Gandhi haphazardly whores himself out to any picture needing some kind of credibility in the acting department....
Yeah, it's flashy, it's loud and there's tons of action.....yay. C'mon Hollywood, let's plunk down another hundred million on the next newly-resurrected retro phenomenon with a built-in audience.....How about GI Joe? Transformers? The Last Airbender? The Smurfs?
Overall rating: D-
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Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Yes, I'm over thirty. Yes, I loved this movie. And yes, I remember every line and every scene vividly, and have quoted the jokes many, many times.... Still doesn't make it less funny.
A lot of folks I know just don't get Monty Python. Their humor is, of course, very British and usually a little less 'in-your-face' than American-style comedy, but certainly a lot more original. Who else could pull off a movie that simultaneously makes fun of government, religion, dismemberment and even the Black Plague? The only ones (in my opinion) who could even come close are arguably South Park and perhaps The Simpsons. That being said, most Python humor is just downright ridiculous and silly, and I guess that puts a lot of folks off of them. To each his own.
Some of the best scenes in this film are:
-King Arthur Battles the Black Knight
-The Killer Rabbit ("The most foul, cruel and bad-tempered rodent you'll ever set eyes on!" - pictured above)
-The Temptation of Sir Galahad @ Castle Anthrax
-The Knights Who Say 'Nee'
-The Bridge of Death
-The Merciless Taunting by the French
Chances are pretty good that you've already seen this film, and I probably don't have much to say that hasn't already been said. I just thought I'd mention it since I just recently watched The Holy Grail for the bzillionth time and remembered why I love it so much. This has to rank among my Top 5 Comedies of All Time. Do yourself a favor and watch it again!!
A+
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She's Out of My League
This is a not-bad, if somewhat predictable teen-ish sex comedy starring Canada's own Jay Baruchel (second from the right), who's career has recently skyrocketed due to the success of Dreamworks' How to Train Your Dragon (which I'm waiting to see on DVD). It's about a shy, nerdy guy who meets a super-hot girl that seems to really like him, but he can't get past his own insecurities and believe that she really cares for him at all. There are a good number of really funny moments in the film, and the supporting cast of mostly unknowns do a good job. Jay Baruchel is likeable and believeable in his role, and overall the movie feels real enough; even though that's not usually a prerequisite for any comedy. Like most films of the genre, a bunch of raunchy, crazy sex-related things happen, like premature ejaculation and male genitalia-shaving, but I suppose that sort of thing is standard nowadays. Made me laugh - I'm not complaining. What's surprising is that there's some genuine heart in there as well.
One minor complaint about the film is that the filmmakers used CGI (or some other technique) to erase Jay Baruchel's trademark Canadian tattoo in any scenes where he took his shirt off.
CENSORSHIP!!!!
B-
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I've got a severe backlog of movies to review this month, so I'm sure you'll be treated to more soon enough.
Til then:
May the Force be with you...
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