Comments (Chad Benefield
FILM PREVIEWS
May
1st
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (20th Century Fox)
Well, if you happened to catch the version leaked on the internet, you’ve
already seen it. Hopefully, you didn’t give into that temptation. And, speaking
of temptations, I am sure there are hordes of women (and some men out there)
who fully believe Hugh Jackman should always be seen on a giant projection
screen instead of a teeny-tiny laptop! Gavin Hood (Rendition) directs
this Origins story, which delves deep into the psyche and history of
Wolverine and how he found his way to the Weapon X program. I haven’t enjoyed
any of the X-Men movies, but this has one thing going for it.
May
8th
Star
Trek (
Is it just me or is Star Trek the cinematic gift that keeps on
giving? Just when you think there couldn’t possibly be another Star Trek movie,
Trekkies are getting beamed back to movie theatres! To be quite honest, I have
never really been a fan. But, that could all change and here’s why . . . J.J.
Abrams. If anyone can reinvent Star Trek and update it for the modern
age, it’s Abrams. Though he’s only directed one feature-length film (Mission:
Impossible III), he’s the brainpower behind some of the most popular
small-screen science fiction ever: Fringe, Alias and Lost, which
I truly consider the best series in the history of television.
May
15th
Angels and Demons (Sony Pictures)
It’s National Treasure meets The Holy Bible! In 2006, Ron
Howard’s big-screen treatment of Dan Brown’s best-seller, The Da Vinci Code,
raked in over $217 million dollars domestically! In 2009, Angels and Demons is
poised to put up similar numbers. Why? It’s based on another wildly popular Dan
Brown novel. It has the same director. And it stars Tom Hanks, who reprises his
role as symbologist Robert Langdon, who learns that a secret brotherhood called
the Illuminati is on the verge of resurrection and threatens to destroy
the
May
21st
Terminator Salvation (Warner Brothers)
Well, Ahnuld is gone. But behold Christian Bale, the drama queen! Terminator
Salvation has already made headlines and it hasn’t even hit the big screen
yet. Of course, what does one expect when its star, Christian Bale,
tongue-lashes a crew member and thereby officially declares to the world that
he is the NEW Russell Crowe. It killed me when so-called
VIDEO REVIEWS
April
28th
Bride Wars (20th Century Fox)
Here come the brides! Now, take my wives! PLEASE! Anne Hathaway (who’s
usually reliable) and Kate Hudson (who routinely sucks) team up to play best
friends who wage war on each other when they book their dream weddings on the
same day in the same place. The only thing more frustrating than the fact that
this supposed comedy isn’t comic at all is the basic premise of the film. You
mean to tell me that Liv and Emma, BFF’s who’ve been dreaming about and
planning their weddings since they plopped out of the womb, wouldn’t relish the
thought of having a double wedding? Come on, Bridezillas! Even Marcia and Jan
Brady had a double wedding! GRADE: D
May
5th
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount Pictures)
#9 on my list of the Best Films of 2008. David Fincher’s portrait of
Benjamin Button, a man who, oddly enough, ages in reverse, is a poetic tale of
life and its fragility. At the center of this three-hour masterpiece is Fincher’s
thesis about cause and effect. It’s a seemingly inconsequential sequence of
events that ends up having dire consequences for Benjamin Button‘s long-time
love, Daisy. To watch that sequence (and you must) is to learn what life is
truly all about. Life is essentially the pursuit of death. From the moment we
are born, our biological clocks begin ticking and inching ever closer to
Doomsday and there’s nothing we can do to control or stop it. Just ask Benjamin
Button. GRADE: B+
May
12th
Taken (20th Century Fox)
Could anyone have predicted that Liam Neeson was going to be the
break-out action movie star of 2009? Well, this Pierre Morel-helmed thriller
grossed about $140 million dollars and I truly can understand why. On the surface,
Taken looks like a good movie. But if you stop chomping your popcorn,
gutting your gummy bears, slurping down that Coke and really pay
attention, you’ll see it’s all just absurd. The dialogue is terrible. The
acting is over-the-top. Liam Neeson looks about as comfortable playing the
action hero as Harrison Ford did in Firewall. And let’s talk about those
dastardly villains! Have you noticed that the Albanians are the new bad guys in
GRADE: C
May
12th
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (Sony Pictures)
The cinematic equivalent of taking a silver bullet to the forehead. I
don’t mean to sound like a civil rights activist but, “Haven’t my people
suffered enough?” Did we need a third Underworld movie? And, more
importantly, did Michael Sheen, who was so brilliant in The Queen and Frost/Nixon
really need a paycheck this badly? Does Bill Nighy, the normally
accomplished actor who stars as head vampire Viktor, really think he’s being
scary when he makes his eyes bug out of his head like he‘s trying to force a
bowel movement? Do I have to end every sentence in this review with a question
mark? GRADE: C
May
19th
Valkyrie (MGM)
Bryan Singer’s take on the plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler isn’t the
tragedy I expected to be. But that doesn’t mean it’s worth watching either.
Though I fully anticipated Tom Cruise being the primary distraction, he
actually wasn’t that bad. What’s really odd to me is the fact that no one in
this movie about
