ADVENTURELAND is in the Blood

This film first interested me because I worked at a theme park myself so I had an inherent need to see how accurate to theme park life the film actually is. Adventureland is an interesting mix of drama and understated comedy in a coming of age story about James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) who is forced to take a summer job in order to pay for his college education. James represents the ideal “virgin” who has a lot of naïve ideas about love and relationships who comes to learn about living real life through his experiences with the people he works with at the theme park none more then Em (Kristin Stewart), whom he slowly falls in love with.

Written & directed by Greg Mottola (who directed Superbad) this new film is a mixed bag as it has the same charm of his previous film but falls short in the comedy department as it stirs closer to the dramatic category, which may turn away some audiences looking for another Superbad. The film is peppered with a great supporting cast including Ryan Reynolds as Mike Connell, a former musician who works as a repair man at the park and dreams of the halcyon days of his former glory. Reynolds is channeling Monty from his film Waiting in this film and is a boon for those who liked that film.

After the over publicized Twilight, Stewart shows more range in this film as a woman who finds herself numb to true love and living a lie at a dead in job with no means of escape until James enters her life.

The film has its charm and for people like me (who spent some time of their life at a theme park) it’s nostalgic and bitter sweet at its core (despite its flaws).

Is STAR TREK the Best Summer Movie of 2009?

I’m not a “Trekkie” and I’ve only seen a handful of the various television series (I’ve not even seen that many of the original Star Trek series) but I’ve seen all the films and am very familiar with the characters through the movies. Being a little bit fed up with the whole remake/reboot and sequel mentality of Hollywood’s current brain-trust, I was not interested in this new Star Trek film. In fact, the only reason why I even bothered to go see it was because J.J. Abrams was directing and Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman were writing and these are the people behind the exceptional television shows Alias, Lost, and now Fringe. The movie had such great talent behind it that I couldn’t pass it up even if I wanted to. I’m so glad I didn’t as Star Trek has thus far been the best film of the summer season.

Prequels, in my opinion, rarely work and can destroy a franchise by claiming to go back to the beginning to explain how certain characters became who they are. Star Trek is no different as it takes our familiar crew of the Starship Enterprise back to the days of Starfleet Academy where many of them first met. Having learned most of this info from the original television and the films you’d think that there would be no where for the new film to go but Abrams and crew have crafted a familiar story that’s retold through a past that is changed when Romulans from the future journey back in time to change the past and thus their own future.

Now the whole time traveling thing has been done numerous times in the television show not to mention several of the big screen movies, so, using the same device in the new film felt a little like cheating at first but Orci and Kurtzman decide not to dwell on this device too long but instead focuses on its effect on the past (the present of the film).

I could go into more details about the plot but frankly its better if you watch it yourself as Star Trek is the best of all the Star Trek films thus far produced as it is not only a great sci-fi film but a great dramatic film as well with the peppered humor of Abrams Alias and Felicity through in for good measure. The other thing is that audiences of all ages and people who don’t even like sci-fi will enjoy this film. This cannot be said for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, which is now the second best film in the franchise (this film is liked by Trekkies the most). Before this new film general audiences only connected with the Erath friendly Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (which also relied on time travel) but this film has dated the most over the years of all the films.

Abrams cast is point on perfect at the iconic original crew of the Enterprise and all the characters get their moment to shine in this film (whereas in the later films the supporting characters became mere background characters at times). Abrams and crew should be commended in changing my views on remakes/reboots because up until this film I was willing to give up all hope on a summer with an actual good film.

I'm Seeing ANGELS & DEMONS! Please help Me!

I’ve never read a Dan Brown book and I didn’t really care all that much for The Da Vinci Code but it was entertaining and I generally like Tom Hanks, whom I can always trust when it comes to films (he can make a mediocre film watchable which is why I saw The Da Vinci Code). The only reason why I bothered with Angels & Demons was because Hanks was in it and I tend to give more credit to a film if it has Ewan McGregor in it since I think (like Hanks) this is an actor who can do just about any genre of film.

I have to say that I enjoyed Angels & Demons a whole hell of a lot more then The Da Vinci Code. Although both films move at a break neck pace Angels & Demons has streamlined the film to make it more accessible to mainstream audiences. This could have been disastrous but in Hanks and director Ron Howard’s hands the film has a great energy that the film lacked (and in my opinion slowed it down). This film also has more interesting supporting characters and a story that is neither clean cut nor too overly complication (unlike its predecessor which got convoluted in its own terminology and far too many occasions).

Unlike The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons is a fun and entertaining summer film with just the hint of a great murder mystery behind it which bolds well with its box office future.

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE a Waste of Time

Let me first say that growing up in the '80s & '90s I read a lot of comics one of which was The X-Men from Marvel so I'd like to think I know a lot about the characters. I know that sometime at the end of the '90s and '00s Marvel's brains were scrambled and they decided to re-boot their comics (most of which from what I've heard was a disaster but some did stick).

I love comic book films of which BLADE, SPIDER-MAN, SPIDER-MAN 2, HELLBOY & HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY are among the best recent examples. If you notice none of the X-Men films are included on this list and that is for good reason as none of the films are all that good (although I do consider X2: X-MEN UNITED the best). The only reason why any of the films suceeded is because of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Ian McKellen as Magneto because the screenplays are pedestrian at best with no sense of what the X-Men truly were, which was a team of mutants who banded together in order to combat majot atrocities to their kind as well as humankind. Now the theme is present in all three films but the word "team" is lacking in all except the 2nd film (hince why I think it is the best). The first film is nothing more then a film about Wolverine and Rogue who just so happen to meet the X-Men (since no one in the team is given nearly as much screen time as Wolverine & Rogue nor as much of a story/plot). The 2nd film managed to have plenty of great subplots amongst the great action set pieces and actually tried to be a good and well rounded film and Wolverine didn't hog all the screen time (although Cyclops the leader of the X-Men is still under used). The 3rd film was a total mess as old characters from the first two films are killed or completely discarded to make room for all the new characters who were just on hand as popcorn eye candy. It was one big action film mess withy no redeemable qualities.

The same can be said of X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE which rewrites X-Men lore to suit whatever the filmmakers thought would be "cooler" in a story that's so uninspired that I almost fell asleep in the theatre. Fleshing out events already alluded to in X2 this new film tries to explain the origins of Wolverine which is the least interesting story to try and tell. With so much history to pull from with the Wolverine character the filmmakers decided to go with a story that pretty much told itself it the previous film. Let's not even mention the complete overhaul done on the Sabretooth character and the complete misuse of the Gambit character (another one of the X-Men's most popular characters who bares has a comeo in this film). The film comes off as nothing more than a marketing ploe to get butts in the seats with lots of things that go "boom" and "pow" and I for one never bought it.

The film is an uninspired mess of which I'm shocked that Jackman didn't have more input into (especially since they plan on making a trilogy of these films). I don't recommend this film to any one unless you ust love Jackman or just can't wait to see the film on video.

Seeing Robots Everywhere in TERMINATOR SALVATION

Am I a TERMINATOR fan?

Having enjoyed both of the James Cameron films I delved into the continuation of the franchise in the four-colored world of comics first throw NOW comics original series TERMINATOR: THE BURNING EARTH and later through Dark Horse Comics who published various limited series based on the franchise (all fairly good although like most franchise tended to run out of steam towards the end of their run).

Then came TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES (2003) directed by newcomer Jonathan Mostow who did an excellent job small thriller BREAKDOWN (1997) and U-571 (2000) but T3 ended up an ill-fated mess only enjoyable to those who have never seen the first two films. This film had a bigger budget but no brains and ended up nothing more then a very good paycheck for the current Govenor of CA. Sorry to say that I no longer was a Terminator fan.

Then in 2008 TERMINATOR showed up on the small screen with THE SARAH CONNER CHRONICLES, a spin-off with a great cast but messed with the continuity of the franchise so much that I'm not sure that in even belongs in the TERMINATOR franchise or if it's just a bad dream (like what eventually happened with HALLOWEEN 4, 5, and 6 to that franchise). Although this show was cancelled after only two seasons it has its fans (because frankly the show wasn't that bad).

Now we have TERMINATOR SALVATION (2009) a film that tries to be a sequel while also trying to reboot the franchise (ala STAR TREK). I'm not going to say the film is great but it's a whole hell of a lot better then the previous film which is mainly because of the good writing and great cast on board. Whereas the 3rd film poked fun at itself on several occassions this film is a gritty war film that asks the question - in a world ruled by robots is humanity dead? After watching that 3rd film you'd think so but stars Christian Bale (as prophet of doom John Conner) and Sam Worthington are great foils for one another. It's tuff to play opposite rising star super giant Bale but newcomer Worthington does a great job of holding his own in the film which is a testament not only to his talent but also to the great screenplay by John D. Brancato and Michael Ferris.

It film not only has a gripping (and intellent) story behind it but it also has the action and excitement required of a summer popcorn film. I give great praise to director McG for putting together such a great team of experts (especially after the rumors of how hard he worked to get Bale interested in the film). Some people only see him as the guy who directed the CHARLES ANGELS films but I was willing to give him a chance (especially since Mostow - whom I like - screwed up the 3rd film).

My interest in the TERMINATOR franchise has been rekindled, for now, and I hope that they continue to do it right with any subsequent films.

Graphic Novel Review: FEDDY VS. JASON VS. ASH

The most anticipated sequel to a horror film never made it to the big screen but instead was relegated to the four color world of comics. After the huge success of the film Freddy Vs. Jason there was takes about a sequel, the most talked about being the proposed Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash story that would combine the two kings of the slasher genre with that of the hero of The Evil Dead and Army of Darkness films. This never fully materialized (for various reasons) but the treatment for that proposed film was the outline for this six issue limited series that makes up the graphic novel. Published by Dynamite Entertainment and Wildstorm the story of Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash is one that every fan of any of the series would have loved to have seen as a film.

The story begins after the events in the Freddy Vs. Jason movie where Freddy finds himself trapped in the mind of Jason. Freddy’s only hope of getting out is through the help of the Necronomicon, The Book of the Dead which currently resides in the old Voorhees home (as witnessed in Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday). At this same time S-Mart is opening a new Super S-Mart on the former stomping grounds of Camp Crystal Lake and Ash is on hand to help the store get in shape before the grand opening. Ash, being the hunter of deadites that he is, believes that he is being lured there by the Book of the Dead for some nefarious reasons. It is not long before Ash encounters what’s left of some of Jason’s victims and he believes it is his destiny to rid the world of Jason (whom he thinks is a deadite). It doesn’t take long before Ash realizes that Jason is only the tool of a greater evil, Freddy, who with the Book of the Dead will be able to meld the dream world and the real world together so that he will have total reign. In true Army of Darkness fashion, Ash will blunder and kill anything and everything that gets in his way from destroying the Book of the Dead once and for all.

One of the reasons why this story works so well is the care with the story (Story by Jeff Katz & Script by James A. Kuhoric) and art (by Jason Craig) given to book which references all three film franchises both in terms of story and visuals. For The Evil Dead fans there are a lot of visual nods to The Evil Dead II, which just allow the comedy to flow. Surprisingly, Freddy is wisely not seen as the comic element in the story (although he does have his moments) but instead he is the grand mastermind behind an elaborate plot that’s more complex then anything seen in his films. Jason is given plenty of room to kill…well, just about everybody as this series has more blood flowing then any of the films (thank the heavens). This is definitely a Hard-R rated comic with plenty of surprises by the end.

Having only read a handful of the various comic book series based on these characters now being released by Dynamite Entertainment and Wildstorm it was a relief to know that I didn’t have to have read any of those series to enjoy this story. In fact, you don’t really need to have seen the film Freddy Vs. Jason as the series gives a quick recap of the events of the film for those readers just familiar with the characters.

This is one of the few books I think should have been made into a film but if all I have is this graphic novel then I’m not really going to complain any more.

Graphic Novel Review: ELFQUEST: THE DISCOVERY

The Wendy & Richard Pini creation ElfQuest has been around for over 35 years in one form or another and with ElfQuest: The Discovery the two have crafted a story that’s true to the heart of creation while also bringing it up to date for new readers.

Having read the ElfQuest series sporadically I know all the main characters but didn’t know much about all the newer characters. The Pini’s have crafted a world overwhelmed with characters which are all distinct and three-dimensional whether they appear in one scene or two or more scenes in the story. All the main characters are here in The Discovery from Cutter, the leader of the Wolf Pack of elves, Skywise, Timmain, the last of the High Ones, and the newly found elves the Wavedancers. Since this story is concerned less with the original elves, The Discovery is more about Cutter’s son Sunstream who has fallen in love with Brill, a Wavedancer whose tribe has hidden away from the outside world due to the cruelty placed upon them by humans. Cutter, whose life long journey is to unite all the elf tribes, sees this as a great opportunity to unite one of their brethren regardless of the fears. Brill is put in an awkward position as she and the rest of the Wavedancers are forced into hiding by her tribe’s former leader Surge.

The story may sound complicated at first of the Pini’s do a great job with streamlining the main story about two tribes who must overcome their differences in order to become one. It’s a similar story to the one the Pini’s have been telling for years but it’s also the driving force behind what makes the ElfQuest stories so interesting to read and universal to everyone. Regardless of how many characters are introduced (and believe me there are a lot) newer readers shouldn’t be put off as this is a great story (however brief).