REVIEW: Swing Vote

STARRING: Kevin Costner, Madeline Carroll View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 08/01/2008 DATE SCREENED: 07/24/2008 The Verdict GOOD - See it in the theater

With this being an election year in which the American public must choose between two candidates that could not be more different, the timing is perfect for a movie like Swing Vote. In Swing Vote a Presidential election literally comes down one person’s vote, and the saying that every vote counts was never more true. That one vote is in the hands of a Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner), an apathetic slacker from Texaco, New Mexico. Bud drinks way too much and just recently lost his job. The vote actually belongs to his twelve year old daughter Molly (Madeline Carroll), who not only registered her dad to vote but was the one placing the vote that is in question due to a voter machine malfunction. Since twelve year olds technically can’t vote, Molly has to take a back seat while her dad takes credit.

When a local reporter, Kate Madison (Paula Patton), breaks the story that the election is being held up for Bud to recast his vote, the national media and both Presidential candidates descend on Taxaco and camp out outside of Bud’s door. Bud is set to cast his vote in ten days, and both candidates put plans into motion to win Bud’s vote. Bud doesn’t even care about the election, but is determined to enjoy his 15 minutes of fame. He meets with the candidates, has parties thrown in his honor, and grants interviews. Kate had previously done a story on Molly, so she has the inside track on the interviews. When Bud says that he is for the environment, the incumbent president changes his stance and becomes a protector of the environment. When Bud says he is pro-life, without even knowing what it means, the other candidate switches to a pro-life agenda. Much to Molly’s chagrin, Bud is making a mockery of the entire political process. Molly wants people to think her dad actually cares, so she answers his stacks of mail from all over the country and tells everyone that her dad takes his responsibility seriously. Molly convinces Bud to hold a debate between the two candidates before making his final decision. When Bud begins to read all of his mail that Molly had been answering it finally dawns on him that the election is actually important, and he is carrying a huge responsibility.

As long as you can get past the ridiculous series of events that leads to the election coming down to one vote, you can enjoy Swing Vote. The movie works as a comedy and a drama. Watching Bud deal with his overnight fame and watching the candidates hurry to film commercials based on Bud’s likes/dislikes provides many funny moments. The film also deals seriously with the relationship between Bud and his daughter Molly, and her absentee mother. The movie takes a completely serious turn at the end when Bud realizes his responsibility. The switch in tone is a abrupt, which made it seem somewhat out of character for Bud. But that might have been necessary for the film to make its final points. The film really isn’t about who he finally votes for as President, but the process this man who never voted goes through in order to realize that voting is important. The cast is really strong, with Madeline being the big find as Molly. When the film started I thought that they should have hired Dakota Fanning for the role, but it wasn’t long before Madeline completely won me over. Kelsey Grammer and Dennis Hopper do a great job as two completely opposite candidates who wonder if kissing Bud’s butt is really the right thing to do. Paula Patton is beautiful as Kate and Stanley Tucci does good work as usual as the President’s aid. Swing Vote is worth a trip to the theater, and I hope everyone leaving the theater will understand that every vote will matter in the upcoming election.

REVIEW: The Rocker

STARRING: Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 08/20/2008 DATE SCREENED: 07/02/2008 The Verdict NOT GOOD - Wait for cable

The Rocker seems like it was written as a Will Ferrell vehicle, but instead we have Rainn Wilson in the title role of Robert ‘Fish’ Fishman, an adult who refuses to grow up. The basic idea is that you take an adult with some kind of immature, childlike obsession, put him in situations in which he can drive kids and adults crazy with his antics, and then hilarity will ensue. But things don’t always work out as well as the movie directors expect.

‘Fish’ was the drummer of a band called Vesuvius in the ‘80s. The group is offered their first major record deal with the caveat that they must replace the drummer. Vesuvius goes on to be one of the biggest rock ‘n roll bands of all time, while 20 years later Fishman is unemployed and living in his sister’s attic, harboring a deep hatred of Vesuvius. It turns out that Fishman’s overweight 17 year old nephew is the keyboardist in a band, and they are looking for a drummer. Fishman is asked to help out, and it’s not long before his ‘80s hairstyles and antics are back in business as the old guy in this teen pop-rock group called A.D.D. Thanks to a popular YouTube video featuring Fishman practicing in the nude, the group is signed to a record label and is soon out on their first tour. When Fish isn’t acting like a “rock star” he is attempting to romance the lead singer’s mother, played by Christina Applegate. This of course leads to tension, and Fish is kicked out of the group right before their biggest gig opening for the legendary Vesuvius. Will history repeat itself, or will the group discover that they need ‘Fish’?

I suspect that most of you can figure out the ending. Rainn Wilson does his best, but he’s just not as funny as Will Ferrell. For this movie to work, with it’s silly and predictable plot, the lead character has to carry it. Rainn is not able to carry this movie, but it’s not for a lack of trying. Watching him act like an ‘80s reject was just not funny. Christina Applegate is underutilized, as she is the best actor in the film. I can’t believe she is doing mother roles these days. The lead singer of A.D.D. is singer Teddy Geiger, who I understand is somewhat popular with kids. He’s not much of an actor though. This film is not worth a trip to the theater or video store. Wait for cable.

REVIEW: Hellboy II: The Golden Army

STARRING: Ron Perlman, Selma Blair View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 07/11/2008 DATE SCREENED: 07/08/2008 The Verdict GOOD - See it in the theater

The original Hellboy was only a minor success, and a mediocre film, raking in $99 million world wide on a $60 million budget. A sequel was not a certainty. Thanks to brisk DVD sales and the subsequent success of director Guillermo Del Toro’s Pans Labyrinth, the green light was given to Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Armed with an $82 million budget, he set out to correct the mistakes of the first film. The summer of 2008 will be known as the summer of the comic book movie, so the timing of the release is perfect. But can Hellboy II continue the streak of exciting comic book film adaptations?

Hellboy II opens with a scene of a young Hellboy being told the story of the mythical robotic Golden Army. The Golden Army was controlled by a race of mythical creatures for a war against humanity in ancient times. Eventually, a treaty was signed that gave the humans rights to the cities, with the creatures the rights to the forests. When Hellboy innocently asks his “father” if the story is real, he’s told that one day he will find out. We jump to the present day, where Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) is preparing to break the treaty by gaining the necessary pieces to the crown which controls the army. Humans have angered him with their utter disregard of life and the environment, and he’s had enough. He’s ready to start the war all over again. He kills his own father to claim a piece of the crown, but his twin sister Nuala flees with the final piece. Meanwhile, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is having problems in his relationship with his girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair). He’s a slob, and she’s getting tired of it. Hellboy’s superiors are growing tired of him, as the members of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) are supposed to live in secret, but he’s going around posing for pictures that the government has to suppress. The humans have one piece of the crown, and the Prince interrupts an auction to claim it. This gets Hellboy and his team involved, fighting creatures at the auction house. In the process the entire team (Hellboy, amphibious mind reader Abe Sapien, and fire controlling Liz) ends up on the evening news, much to Hellboy’s delight. A new team leader is brought in named Johann Krause, who is some type of powerful spirit creature. The four of them end up finding the princess and bringing her back to their secret compound, where she hides the final piece of the crown. Abe quickly finds himself falling in love with the Nuada, but it’s not long before the Prince shows up to snatch her away. The BPRD must deliver the final piece of the crown to Prince Nuada in the secret underground chamber of the Golden Army. But Hellboy is not about to give that piece up without a fight.

I’ve never read a Hellboy comic, so I don’t know how well the story and characters match with the comic. What I do know is this is a much better film than the first one. This time the film is focused on Hellboy and his relationships with the other members of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Hellboy becomes a character that we really care about and get behind in this film. He argues with his girlfriend Liz, fights with his bosses, and is the first in line when it comes time to face off with an enemy. He’s a guy in love, who also wants to be loved by the public. When it comes time to kick butt, he does so with an attitude and a sense of humor. I know that character development is not what most people go to a summer action movie to see. People want to see BIG action sequences. Hellboy has plenty of action as well. The team fights a variety of creatures, including a giant plant creature at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. The team must face off with the Golden Army, and Hellboy has not one, but two, fights with Prince Nuada.

Visually, the film looks like it cost much more than $82 million. You are taken into these underground worlds with creatures of all types, and none of it looks fake. Hellboy pulls you in with a good story, with humorous dialogue sprinkled throughout, and there is not too much talking before the next action sequence. The big mistake of the first film was in centering the story around the human character John Myers. He’s nowhere to be found this time. See this one in the theater. Although not at the level of Iron Man or Incredible Hulk, Hellboy has kept the streak of exciting comic book movies going. Let’s hope it continues with The Dark Knight.

REVIEW: Journey to the Center of the Earth

STARRING: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 07/11/2008 DATE SCREENED: 07/05/2008 The Verdict GOOD - See it in the theater

I’ve never read the book “A Journey to the Center of the Earth”, or seen any of the previous movies it spawned. As I watched the trailer for the latest incarnation of Journey to the Center of the Earth, and saw that it was an action film starring Brendan Fraser, with dinosaurs, AND filmed in 3-D, I was hooked. I looked forward to putting on my 3-D glasses and enjoying the ride.

Brendan Fraser plays Trevor Anderson, a science professor who is following in the footsteps of his brother, who disappeared searching for the theoretical “center of the earth”. While his brother’s son Sean (Josh Hutcherson) is staying for the week, Trevor notices certain geological shifts that are the exact signs that his brother saw which led him on his search. In honor of his brother, Trevor takes Sean on a field trip to find the passageway to the “center of the earth”.

Along the way Trevor realizes that they need the assistance of a mountain guide. They hire Hannah (Anita Briem), the daughter of another scientist who was also lost searching for the “center of the earth”. The three of them take off together, but things do not go according to plan. A sudden storm traps them in a cave, where they literally fall into the passageway that takes them to the “center of the earth”. The center of the earth is no theory. It’s real. It’s is an entire world of its own, containing plants, animals, and fish that have long been extinct topside. The wonder they experience in this find soon gives way to the reality that they will have to find a way to get back out or they will also be considered lost and die down there. They devise a plan to find a geyser to push them back to the top, but getting there does not turn out to be easy. They get separated along the way and must face the infamous T-Rex.

The center of the earth is rendered wonderfully in 3-D. It’s like you get to experience the sense of wonder with the characters. The glowing birds are flying around you similar to how they are flying around them. When flesh eating plants attack, you feel like the plant is attacking you. And when a drop of spit drips from the lips of the T-Rex, you instinctively start to cover your face. Once the movie gets to the center, it’s just one chase scene after another. The chase scenes aren’t exactly original, but the 3-D effects make the experience of watching them seem original. We’ve seen people get chased by a dinosaur before, but not quite like this. And we have certainly never seen people defend themselves from piranha type fish by hitting them with a stick straight into the audience. This movie is not about character development, or a believable storyline. This movie is an exciting, sometimes funny, thrill ride that the entire family can enjoy. See it in the theater, but don’t bother if you can’t get to a theater showing it in 3-D.

REVIEW: The Wackness

STARRING: Ben Kingsley, Josh Peck View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 07/03/2008 (some cities) DATE SCREENED: 06/25/2008 The Verdict GOOD - See it in the theater

The Wackness is set against the backdrop of 1994 New York City. Rap music was dominating the airwaves, and Biggie Smalls was a new artist. Rudy Gullaiani has just begun his first term as Mayor, with a tough anti-crime stance that included crackdowns on relatively minor offenses such as graffiti, turnstile jumping, and aggressive "squeegeemen".

The story centers around a troubled teenager named Luke (Josh Peck), who has just graduated from high school. Luke is a quiet small time weed dealer, who loves rap music and brazenly sells weed from an ice cream cart in Central Park. He describes himself in the film as "most popular of the unpopular". One of his clients is the step father of a classmate, psychiatrist Dr. Jeffrey Squires (Ben Kingsley). Dr. Squires trades therapy time for the weed. Eventually, Luke begins to open up about his inability to find a girlfriend and his troubles at home. His parents are constantly arguing and having money problems. Luke is feeling the pressure to be the breadwinner in the family, and is depressed that he has never had a girlfriend. Dr. Squires encourages Luke to go out more and find a woman, but what he doesn’t know is that Luke has a huge crush on his step daughter Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby). It turns out that Dr. Squires is unhappy in his marriage, so he begins to spend time hanging out with Luke. In one of the film’s funnier moments, they end up in a bar, where Dr. Squires has a make-out session with a young pot-head played by Mary-Kate Olsen. Hanging out with Dr. Squires helps Luke make his move on Stephanie. Of course, the Dr. is not happy with this when he finds out. Luke and Dr. Squires do get past that issue and explore New York, selling weed together, and trying to help each other deal with their depression.

The Wackness is both a comedy and a drama. Seeing Ben Kingsley get high smoking on a bong is certainly funny. At the same time, it deals with issues of family, relationships, drug addiction and depression. I was completely drawn into the story. We get interesting relationships between all the characters. There is the romance between Luke & Stephanie, the strange friendship between Luke & Dr. Squires, and the bad marriage between Dr. Squires and his wife (Famke Janssen). It may sound corny that Luke & the Dr. can become friends and help each other while dealing weed, but it’s funny and actually seems to make sense in the context of the film. Josh Peck gives the best performance as Luke, but we get good performances from everyone involved, even Method Man as Luke’s drug supplier. This is a small independent movie that I hope will find an audience. See this in the theater, assuming you can find it.

REVIEW: Hancock

STARRING: Will Smith, Charlize Theron View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 07/02/2008 DATE SCREENED: 06/23/2008 The Verdict GOOD - See it in the theater

Will Smith kicks off the 4^th of July holiday with the release of Hancock, the kind of action packed summer blockbuster that he hasn’t done in a few years. With comic book superheroes dominating the box office, he is taking a risk by making an original superhero movie, without the built-in fan base and proven successful storylines of a comic book hero.

The film opens with Hancock laying on a sidewalk bench in a drunken stupor. He is awakened by a kid, who chastises him for not helping out with a police chase that is taking place on live TV. Hancock reluctantly flies off with his bottle of liquor to intervene. In the process of capturing the criminals, he leaves an unnecessary trail of damaged roads, cars and buildings. It turns out that many in the city of LA hate Hancock, as his style of crime fighting sometimes causes more harm than good. When Hancock saves Ray, a Public Relations executive played by Jason Bateman, from being run over by a train, probably killing the conductor of the train in the process, the crowd turns on him. Ray steps up to Hancock’s defense, thanks him for saving his life, and invites him to dinner. Ray’s son is Hancock’s biggest fan, but his wife Mary (Charlize Theron) is not happy that Hancock is around. Ray convinces Hancock that he can be a superhero that people love, with his guidance. Ray helps Hancock clean up his image by accepting jail time for the damages he has caused, and then coming out a jail without the drinking problem, with a new costume, and new friendlier attitude.

Things are going well for Hancock, until he discovers that he is not the only super powered being in LA. Actually, things are going well for us as movie goers until Hancock discovers that he is not the only super powered being in LA. Up until that point, I was watching a funny movie, with an interesting story and good special effects. Then the movie takes a convoluted turn with a ridiculous story of Hancock’s origin and his relation to the other super powered being. We do get to see them fight all over the city, so maybe I shouldn’t be too hard on the bad writing. Taken as a mindless summer action film it’s entertaining enough to keep people happy. The crowd at the screening cheered at the end and most people seemed to leave happy. Movies based on popular comic books already have great storylines that can be adapted to film. Hancock did not have that advantage, and it shows. My feelings are mixed, but it’s worth a trip to the theater. The summer of the superheroes will continue with Hellboy 2 and The Dark Knight.

REVIEW: The Incredible Hulk

STARRING: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler View Trailer RELEASE DATE: 06/13/2008 DATE SCREENED: 06/09/2008 The Verdict GREAT - See it opening weekend

Marvel Studios set the bar extremely high with Iron Man. The film is a hit with fans and critics alike, and has made $538,741,611 worldwide as I write this review. The idea of Marvel Comics making the movies of their own comics, as opposed to selling the movie rights to another company, seemed to be a stroke of genius. Expectations suddenly skyrocketed for the upcoming 2nd release from Marvel Studios, The Incredible Hulk. Marvel had bought back the movie rights after the disappointing results of the Hulk that was directed by Ang Lee, and made $245 million worldwide. It wasn’t a bust, but still didn’t deliver the money that was expected, and fans all over cursed Ang Lee for the changes he made to the Hulk’s origin, and the art house style of the picture as a whole. I personally thought the action sequences were phenomenal and made up for the boring family drama in the movie. Marvel promised a more true to the comics and TV show adaptation, and after seeing Iron Man I had no doubt that was what I was going to get.

The Incredible Hulk starts off with flashbacks of the Hulk’s origin. We get just the basics of his origin, with the rest of the crap from the previous movie thrown out. Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is experimenting on himself and accidentally exposed to high doses of green gamma radiation, right in front of the love of his life Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). This causes the transformation into the Incredible Hulk, which the military, led by Betty’s father General ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross (William Hurt), unsuccessfully tries to capture. The film then picks up basically where the last film left off. Bruce is in hiding, in Brazil, learning martial arts and relaxation techniques that will supposedly prevent him from becoming the Hulk even in the most stressful situations. Bruce works at a bottling plant by day, while working to find a cure for his condition. He is assisted by an Internet friend known only by his handle as “Mr. Blue”. When a drop of Bruce’s Blood winds up accidentally making its way into a bottle of juice shipped to the U.S., General Ross is soon in Brazil with a military contingent, led by Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth). The military soldiers have no idea what they are getting in to. Bruce transforms into Hulk, kicks some military butt, and is gone again. Bruce and Mr. Blue need data, so Bruce must go back to the U.S. and attempt to steal data from a military computer. He is reunited with Betty, who it turns out has a copy of the data he needs. Meanwhile, Blonsky is willing to risk his life being injected with experimental drugs to make himself into a Super Soldier, so that he can be the one to take down Hulk. The experiment works and Blonsky gets his 2nd chance at capturing the Hulk, but he is still not even close to the Hulk’s match. Bruce and Betty take the computer data to Mr. Blue, who turns out to be a scientist in NYC named Samuel Sterns. Sterns has been cloning the blood sample Bruce had once sent to him, and making various concoctions based on it. The military crashes the party once again, and Bruce is tranquilized and captured before he can turn into the Hulk. Blonsky desperately wants his Round 3 with Hulk, and forces Sterns to inject him with his concoctions based on Bruce’s Blood. This causes Blonsky to transform into a hulk like creature called Abomination, who then goes on a rampage through Harlem. General Ross is forced to release Bruce, so that the Hulk can engage in a final showdown with Abomination.

The Incredible Hulk is more than just a movie about the Hulk. It is brilliantly written to not just set up the Hulk sequels, but set up what I’ll call the Marvel Movie Universe. Upcoming Marvel movies include, Iron Man 2, Thor, Sub Mariner, Captain America, and The Avengers. Hulk includes references and characters that only the serious comic fans will realize are references to some of these upcoming movies. The obvious appearance by Robert Downy Jr. makes the tie-in to Iron Man obvious to everyone. It seems as if all the Marvel Studio owned heroes will eventually appear in the same Avengers movie in 2011. That would have been impossible if Marvel had continued to sell away the movie rights to their characters. For fans of the Hulk, there are characters that we know will later become villains in subsequent Hulk sequels.

For the average moviegoer, you don’t need to know anything about the comics. The movie still stands on its own as a great summer action film. The special effects are better this time around, and with the martial arts training Bruce learned in Brazil, the Hulk knows how to kick ass more so than the last time. The love story between Bruce and Betty seems to be just enough to keep the ladies happy and show that the Hulk is not just a mindless monster, without becoming boring. There are even a couple of cameos to make the fans of the TV show smile. I was on the edge of my seat as the Hulk and Abomination ran towards each other right in front of the Apollo Theater, and the fight did not disappoint. They beat each other down, up and down the street, smashing everything in their path. In the end, Bruce is forced to recognize that maybe he doesn’t want to be cured of becoming the Hulk, but learn how to control it.

I couldn’t be more excited about the movies in the pipeline for Marvel Studios. As a big comic fan in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, Iron Man and Incredible Hulk are the kind of movies I’ve dreamed of. Although I love the Spiderman movies, Spiderman 3 totally botched the appearance of his #1 villain Venom. Although I enjoyed X-Men 3, they total botched the appearance of Phoenix. These are the kind of blatant and stupid mistakes that Marvel Studios will not make. The comic book storylines are proven, and following them as close as possible is always best. Movie studios always eventually think they can write better stories, or create a better villain, when they can’t. Incredible Hulk has a lot of competition at the box office, but I hope anyone reading this will rush out and see it opening weekend.