Guilty Pleasure: Jumper

Yes, I admit it. I really like watching Doug Liman's Jumper, the 2008 critically panned sci-fi movie featuring Diane Lane, Hayden Christensen , and the ubiquitous Samuel L. Jackson.

Honestly? The movie pretty much sucked. Let's get that out right away. Special effects aside, the storyline really needed a lot of work. Oh wait...did you know it was based on a book?

A book so bad-ass, it basically should have been the storyline. The writers of Hollywood, in their status of knowing it all, decided that Steven Gould's novel needed spicing up and to be a convoluted confusing mass of "Why the heck did that happen?".

So why do I watch movie? Because I often find myself in a realm of Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda. The books, if you haven't read them ,really develop that thing called character. Yeah, I know; it's just not a pretty thing on screen. It's not like it's never been done before [cough Forrest Gump cough ] or has ever been successful [cough Bourne Identity cough], but what do I know?

The best part of the books? The sequel was equally good. Yeah, it was. What the movie lacked, the book easily addressed. The action of "jumping" was overplayed, in the thought that audiences would be swayed by magically disappearing and reappearing. Ask yourself this: Why are the Harry Potter and Twilight series so successful? The development of the characters. The movies themselves were easily written; they followed the original blueprint!

On second thought, don't watch the movie. It will basically piss you off and you'll rant to me about losing ninety minutes of your life. Spend a few hours and read Steven Gould's little gems about a young man against the world and how he/it is changed through the course of events.

If you watch the movie, you will feel guilty. I can't attest to any pleasure though.

Shazam!

Iron Man 2: A Review

I took both my boys to see the latest offering from the Marvelverse, Iron Man 2.

A brief preface, if you'll humor me...

I've been a Marvel guy pretty much all my life. One of the first comics my mom ever bought me (for a long trip to Grandma's house) was an Iron Man comic. The red and gold suit that shot energy beams was simply beyond belief. I didn't get many more issues for a few years, but the seeds of pencils and ink had been planted. As posted previously, Jim Lee's work really helped me make a transition during a tough time after my parent's divorce.

As I still have many of those comics, my boys have picked up an enthusiasm for the comics. Dyl is a die hard DC kind of guy, with a passion for Superman and Batman. Lukers is...well...just into the whole superhero fighting bad guys kind of thing. We decided to check out the movie a la Guys Night Out.

After the obligatory purchse of popcorn and drinks, we settled in for some good seats in a not too crowded local theater. Previews were nice (The A-Team looks to be entertaining) and the movie started.

No spoilers here (for the most part); you will need to watch the movie to get the full effect. But, maybe you'll get a better standard of expectation after reading this. The story line, quite frankly, is about as thin as those fancy negligee items that Victoria's Secret sells. But what are we talking about? It doesn't really matter; the story isn't why you are there, is it? As much of a comic lover as I am, I can forgive this transfer to a new medium. Comics on the screen aren't comics; they are now movies and changes are bound to happen. That being said, the visuals, like the first movie, are well done. In the scene (you've seen this in the trailers) where Tony Stark picks up the suitcase and "armors" up, I found myself enthralled with the suit's unfolding action. Quite nice. As for the acting, Robert Downey, Jr. maintains his previous standard as Stark. Gweneth Paltrow is just as luscious as before as Pepper Potts. Newcomers to the series, Don Cheadle as Rhodey and Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko left me feeling a bit off. I like Cheadle's performance and felt it added; Rourke's Vanko came across as cocky and brutish, just not quite believable and not dissimilar to the typical WWE professional wrestler's conveyed bad assed-ness.

Final verdict? Go see it. The action scenes are nicely done. As my son wanted, Iron Man makes many appearances through the film (read: lots of Iron Man, War Machine, and other "machines" to watch). I would suggest taking a buddy, as there are moments when you'll probably wonder if the admission was worth it.

One final must do: Stay for the entire credits. All of it. Don't leave before the credits. Period.

Shazam!

*****SPOILER*****

PS - For anyone that did leave before the final credits, you can check it here.

Football Movie You Probably Missed, Part I

December 12, 2009. A few days before my birthday and I was about to receive an early birthday present: Road Trip back to what I would consider the antithesis of Halcyon Years of NCAA football. The U was coming on television that night.

While it detailed a buildup of the football program at Miami University (even talking about the logo), the heavier emphasis was the recruitment methods and the encouragement of showboating (Pay for Play and Luther Campbell are mentioned). As an adult, I really can't say that I'd condone that kind of play now, but back then, it was truly electric. Those boys could play...period. What truly adds to this documentary is that all the interviews are with former UM coaches and players, including Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmie Johnson, Santana Moss, Michael Irvin, Jeremy Shockey, and many more. These were the warriors that talked the talked and backed it up. I came into the game late but was still regaled with the stories of the swagger that players from "The U" had and that was that.

Obviously, if you were not a fan of the team then, something will be lost in the translation here. This movie was done by Billy Corben, of Cocaine Cowboys series fame (another really good documentary as well). He's a fan of the teams from late 1970's through the 1990's isn't ashamed to let this come through in the presentation. And of course, there is some detailing of a few of the crimes that the players were "accused" of, but this isn't harped upon.

Sadly, if you missed it, you are out of luck for a bit. The DVD is scheduled to come out sometime this year. Sure, you can bit it together on youTube, but that just ain't the same. There is a nice short interview with Corben here, that's about it for now. In any case, for those of you that are about my age and enjoyed the show that those boys in green put on, check it out.

Shazam!

Next time: NFL Player's Association

YOU! Choose the topic...

Perhaps this is a way of garnering some readers, but I've got a few ideas that I'm developing. 

As those develop, I thought "Why not ask the readers what they want?"  I"m quite sure that the nine of you won't all say something, but I figure whoever gives that one idea that just sparks will have his/her article written out.

What will it be about?  You decide.  Want something risque?  A movie reviewed? Music critiqued?  How about some commentary on how the clouds haven't been quite as blue as in the past?  

You have the chance here to make it happen.  I guarantee you a full effort on the post.  Nothing shammed together to appease the cheap initiative; no, you will receive the full undivided attention for the post.

And now, I leave you with hopefully some motivating and inspiring words:

"Opportunity knocks at the strangest times, It's not the time that matters But how you answer the door." - Steve Gray

I am....Iron Man!

I grew up reading comics, so a great many of the current action flicks coming out initially appeal to me.

When the first Batman came out in 1989, I was excited, but a bit disappointed at the storyline. I liked it nonetheless, but in retrospect, was disappointed. The movies that followed were not much better, and it seemed that they would try even harder to get that "star" power to overcome the lack of substantial acting and writing.

Spider-man, at least the latest reincarnation, is better. Tobey Maguire's acting and the writing is such as to keep me interested. Most of the time. That, and Kirsten Dunst's presence. It wasn't bad, but the third one (as cool as the black suit was), left something to be desired. It seemed as if as any of these stories progress, we have to get more stars/heroes/villains and have them all battling and such. C'mon. What's next? Carnage kidnaps MJ and takes over the Daily Bugle? The Lizard goes on a rampage? And Venom threatens to put out Spidey's secret identity to the world? All in the same movie? Too much.

One movie (again, following the Marvel universe) that really did it right (almost at least) was The Punisher. No, not the nasty Dolph Lundren version, but the 2004 Thomas Jane version. Really nice, really dark. Left some bits out from the comics, but included some others. I don't know if they plan on making a sequel, but the movie itself was fairly complete. The characters really stayed true to who they are, and it wasn't overly complicated (for a movie). A great many parts of the movie I can tie back to my humble collection of Punisher: War Journal. Props to Jim Lee's master artistry on all that work.

Many others have come out, again from the Marvel-verse. Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Blade, X-Men, Ghost Rider, and even Hellboy have all come to receive interest varying from excitement to week-old oatmeal splendor. I've seen these, in addition to DC Comic's Batman and Superman installments. I really liked the newest Batman and anticipate the return of Joker in the upcoming movie. Superman Returns is a bit of a departure from the typical story lines, but I think the writer's stayed true to the overall character. I really liked that story, and it left it open without the obvious "expect a sequel now..." type ending.

What's all this about? My son and I took in Iron Man this past weekend. Eye candy galore. The storyline, albeit updated to 2008, followed Tony Stark's transformation into Iron Man. I can't say that there was one part I didn't like. Now, there were some parts being quite predictable. Formulas for action movies don't digress much, and in this case, it's still there. Doesn't take away from the movie. Most important for me was the on-screen savy of Robert Downey, Jr. For all his troubled past, he fits this role practically perfectly. Best moments? The on-screen chemistry between Downey's Stark and Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts. The not-so-sublteness of it really amped me up and kept me into those slower parts. The soundtrack really fits, driving the action and highlighting smaller funny moments.

Now, the ending. I'm an ending kind of guy. If you saw the movie Sliver, you know that endings can really f#%! up a movie. I've heard some rumblings about Iron Man's ending. When you see it, consider this: what would Tony Stark say in that situation? That should help you arrive at your answer.

Teeth

Perhaps one the most interesting premises, I read about a movie.

Teeth is about a young lady who, well, has teeth, in her, er...um...nether regions. As she get's older, this difference becomes a tool for those that "deserve their comeuppance". A novel idea, I remember, being the typical perverted and dumb teenage male, joking about something like this and how it would make relations or even the attempt at them.

So, while this movie is classified as a horror movie, it's more than that. Yes, a bit campy, but sometimes movies that empower women (albeit it with vagina dentata) is always an interesting view for me. In this case, the entire premise lures me to want to buy it when it comes out on DVD. I would imagine this being a cult hit, kind of like Shaun of the Dead. I liked it for all it's darker humor and well, scariness that was fun.

If you get a chance, check it out. Enjoy it for what it is: a fun film, provoking a bit of humorous thought about the possibilities of what-if, and a bit of campy gore for those of you seeking that. It's all about having a bit of fun and conversations afterwards. Imagine getting a coffee afterwards and talking about it. The one scene that might just provoke the most conversation is her visit to the Ob-Gyn. Women of the world, I respect you and all that you contribute to this world. I can only hope that my wife never comes down with this.

Teeth's home page can be found here. It opens in LA and New York today.