Friday the 13th

On most Friday the 13ths I usually search the cable channels for a Jason marathon. No matter how many times I've seen these corny flicks, I just can't seem to get enough. But last Friday night, I had the chance see the latest reboot in a crowded theater. And the weather was perfect for the occasion; dark and rainy. Going in, I was expecting to see a modern take on the Camp Crystal Lake legend. And this film definitely delivers that. Overall, the movie plays like a fast-forward composite of the first four movies. There's the prologue sequence with Pamela Voorhees meeting her fate. Then there's the hooded Jason period, before he finds the iconic hockey mask. Finally, there's Jason stalking his prey in an upscale vacation house...much like The Final Chapter, but without the bald Corey Feldman. I really liked the whole origin angle with nods to the original films. But one carryover from the originals that I could have done without were the one-dimensional portrayals of the victims. Within the first few minutes you can figure out who's going to live and who's going to die simply by the inane dialogue. Beyond that, it's just a matter of guessing when and how. I think this is a series that could be made much more terrifying if the victims were a bit more sympathetic. Plus, Jason's portrayed more as a reclusive serial killer than an invincible supernatural being. I guess that sort of works with the whole origin aspect. Despite these shortcomings, this is still a very entertaining movie and the most technically proficient Friday the 13th ever made. Given it's performance over the weekend, I suspect we'll be seeing more of Jason in the years ahead. Hopefully they can find ways to keep it fresh and less predictable.

G.I. Joe Trailer

For me, the best part of the Super Bowl was seeing so many new movie trailers. In fact, I don't recall seeing so many movie ad buys in a Super Bowl. But the one that stuck out for me was the trailer (more of a teaser) for the G.I. Joe flick set to release in August. Now I absolutely hated the Transformers movie, but it looks like this is one that could work. Anyway, if you missed it, it's now up on the official website. While I'm not too crazy about the skintight X-Men-like costumes, this could be a good real-world adaptation. Plus, it looks like we're going to get a Snake Eyes vs. Storm Shadow showdown. I'm there, even if the rest of the movie stinks. But Marlon Wayans as Rip Cord? And the kid from 3rd Rock as Cobra Commander? Yeah, I have my doubts but we'll see what happens.

Death Race

Paul W.S. Anderson's Death Race was the B movie of last night's double feature. As a fan of the original (Death Race 2000) I was very skeptical about this remake, homage, or whatever they want to call it. The original was part satire, part action film, and despite the extremely low budget, remains one of the most entertaining movies ever made. The update loses all the humor (and nudity) and goes straight for the action. Like most remakes, there are nods to the original that some will catch. My favorite was a voice-over cameo by David Carradine playing the original Frankenstein. In this movie it's Jason Statham who takes on the role of Frankenstein, following the original's lethal wreck. Apparently Jason Statham is the go-to-guy when it comes to making car flicks these days. While the script is anything but original, the action sequences are surprisingly top-notch. The racing scenes are just downright awesome with plenty of explosions, gunfire, and gore. What makes them even better is that little CGI was used in these sequences. This is all real old-school stunt work! So refreshing! So if you can stomach the story line, give Death Race a chance. And don't feel bad about fast-forwarding to the race scenes.

The Happening

I've never quite understood the irrational hatred some have for M. Night Shyamalan's films. Granted, his latest offerings haven't been all that great. I admit, Lady in the Water was a complete mess. But it seems like his films are judged on a completely different scale. Almost as if everyone expects him to outdo The Sixth Sense, clubbing them with another out-of-left-field twist. Well that's probably not going to happen, and I've come to terms with it. The Happening is one of the worst reviewed films of 2008. With that in mind, I sat down to watch it last night as the lead in my Saturday night double feature. Throughout the film I was awaiting something extremely lame to happen. But that never occurred. Rather, it was a fairly engaging and tense thriller. Sure, Mark Wahlberg as a high school science teacher wasn't completely believable and I could certainly take issue with the Al Gore-inspired premise. But overall, I thought it was a well made movie. Some reviewers complained that this movie felt like a long episode of The Twilight Zone. I agree, but don't see the problem with that. It certainly held my attention and at a only 91 minutes, it never dragged. Shyamalan is a very restrained and subtle filmmaker. As a result, he seemed to struggle to deliver the hard-R rating that Fox wanted, making some sequences uncharacteristically (and perhaps unnecessarily) jarring. Despite these issues, I liked the film. Not the best Shyamalan movie, but far from the worst.

Wanted

When I first saw the trailer for this movie I wasn't impressed at all. It just looked like another corny action flick designed to fill seats during the Summer. But when the movie was released, I was a bit surprised by all the positive reviews. So I decided to check it out when it came out on video. An impending project suddenly prompted me to move it to the top of the queue. Now that I've seen it I can see why it got good reviews; largely because it's far better than anybody would have expected. This is a case where low expectations work. Sure, there are a lot of gimmicky bullet time-like sequences and some truly over-the-top stunts. But unlike half-hearted action-flicks like Max Payne or the latest Die Hard, this movie is rated-R and wears that distinction proudly; somewhat a rarity for a Summer action movie. There's lots of slow motion shots of bullets going through heads and other gory stuff you'd expect from an edgy action film. It also benefits from a very solid cast, led by James McAvoy. No, Angelina Jolie is not the lead, regardless of the impression you may have derived from the advertising. But she is good in her supporting role, as is Morgan Freeman and Terence Stamp. Overall, this is a movie built to entertain. Set your suspension of disbelief to maximum levels and enjoy.

Get Smart

I don't remember much about the TV series. Though I do remember watching it. The opening credits certainly made an impression...all those doors. So when the teaser trailer came out, nearly a year before the movie did, I was immediately intrigued. Though not intrigued enough to pay $10 to see it in the theater. Like most comedies, I caught it on video and it wasn't too bad. It has a good mix of slapstick and action. Plus the cast is really good. As good as Steve Carell is, Alan Arkin probably has the best line in the whole movie; you'll know it when you hear it. My one problem with this movie (and most comedies) is that it ran a little too long. In my opinion, comedies should rarely clock-in at more than 90 minutes. This one is 110 minutes and I could really feel that extra 20 minutes drag on longer than necessary. That being said, it's still a decent movie and well worth a rent if you're looking for a few light chuckles.

The Wrestler

Out of all the award-seeking movies this season the only one I was really interested in was The Wrestler. Well it finally opened here and I saw it this weekend. It really is a great movie and is a nice recovery from Aronofsky's laughable The Fountain. But this is largely Mickey Rourke's movie. He completely inhabits the role, which might have not been too much of a stretch. My only gripe is that I knew the whole story from watching the trailer. As a result, there weren't too many surprises. It's basically a dramatization of the stuff shown in Beyond the Mat, including the small venue wrestling shows and poorly attended autograph sessions. Randy 'The Ram' Robinson is a composite of just about every major face wrestler from the 80s. There's even an Iron Sheik-like heel (The Ayatollah) played by Ernest Miller, who serves as Randy's ring nemesis. I think that's one of the awesome things about this movie. Not only does it feature an amazing performance, but it got everything right, down to the minor details. There's a Randy 'The Ram' action figure and even a Nintendo game. While it doesn't paint a glamorous image of the profession, few can deny the authenticity.