New Movie Releases Reviewed in 7 Words Each
Alvin and the Chipmunks - Chipwrecked - *Errum* I still want a hula hoop.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Sherlock's pretty good. Almost Matlock quality.
Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol (IMAX, wide Dec. 21) - I almost fell asleep writing the title.
Seriously, Santa, where the heck is my hula hoop?!
So I finally broke down and watched 5 minutes of the first Alvin and the Chipmunks movie the other day. By 'broke down' I mean that I couldn't reach the controls and was busy playing a game. And by watched I mean that it was on in the background till I snapped out of my game playing reverie and uttered 'what the hell?' Yes I loved the cartoon as a kid. You throw colors and funny voices on screen and that's pretty much all it took for me to be entertained. So I'm not inherently against the movies. There is something I still don't get though. You've got some moderately real names in there like Christina Applegate, Amy Poehler, Justin Long; who are the voices of the Chipmunks and Chipettes. But given how the voices have to be tooled so that they sound, as they do, you can't tell that it's a celebrity at all. So why pay for a name that kids aren't going to know or care about? Are parents really going to be like "Well, I didn't want to see that movie, but oh look, it stars Anna Faris as a Chipette! I bet she delivers a breathtaking performance." I highly doubt it.
I seriously hate the Mission Impossible movies. I liked the first one when it came out. Saw it in theater, thought it was great. After that... garbage. I had actually determined not to watch the last one but they enlisted Simon Pegg, who I'd watch a pot not boil if he was in the movie adaptation. But it wasn't worth it to endure the convoluted plot (used loosely) and so so action sequences. And now, theoretically, this new one is supposed to have a slightly expanded Pegg role. Where do I draw the line? *Sigh* DVD it'll be. But I've certainly no intention of blowing my cash on it in theater. What would Tom Cruise do with my 10 bucks anyway? probably just pay some people in India to cheer when he walked out.
On the other side, the much more appealing option of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is also out. The first one was such an enjoyable blend of action and comedy that I was ready for the sequel before I'd even finished my first viewing. Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. are a perfect pairing. Personally, I would rather they had waited another film for Moriarty, building him more in the background. But hey, I'm game for it either way.
Christmas is fast approaching. Time for eggnog and eating the days away in chocolate. What are you all doing to get in the mood this year?
10 bucks to have some Indians cheering for you? That's a steal of a deal if you ask me. That Tom Cruise is a genius. Not bizarre in the least.
ReplyDeleteShopping for my wife and kids really gets me in the holiday spirit! this year, however, I'm flat broke....so no shopping! Still waiting for that Christmas magic to wash upon me all it's cheerfulness!
ReplyDeleteI bet the first one of these movies I see will be the Chipmunks..because I have kids. Out of the other two, I can't decide which I would like to see more. I like Tom Cruise but the MI movies are kinda lame.
Hitting Sherlock Holmes tonight! And dug your description of the Chipmunk movie and breaking down to watch it. I think I would've snapped out of my game stance faster though.
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with you on the MI series! The thing I like the least about those movies is the star...
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see the Sherlock Holmes movie. It looks pretty action packed.
Sherlock Holmes looks great, but I'm with you about the MI movies.
ReplyDeleteSorry, gotta break ranks...I enjoyed all the MI movies and will certainly see this one. However I am totally in on SH. Loved the first and like you, was waiting on the sequel as soon as it was over. Was there something mentioned about a hula hoop???
ReplyDeleteI second Dave, Tom was lucky the college kids needed extra money... after all you are talking about "the people" who welcomed Lady Gaga and Michael Schumacher recently, even had Akon sing a Hindi number for a movie.
ReplyDeleteTom Cruise's fans(of older movies) are my gen, too dignified (read old) to go to the airport to cheer for him...If it was Liz Hurley or Britney even Kim, would have ended up with genuine applause...being ****licous helps, you know, where all else fails..... :D
I found the chipmunks 2 pretty boring...Sherlock the movie got lucky with Robert Downey Jr, but cannot beat Jeremy Brett from the Brit TV series for me atleast.
yeah I'm tired of the Mission Impossible series as well. I'm almost tempted to see it in IMAX just for the Dark Knight Rises intro...
ReplyDeleteYou summed up my thoughts on this perfectly. What I want to know is this: when will Tom Cruise just go away? Now that he's mentally insane, not only do his movies suck, hard, but they also bomb at the box office. We have plenty of A-listers that are better actors, better draws, younger, not crazy, etc. What about it, Hollywood??
ReplyDeleteMmmm...eggnog! Just bought some the other day in fact. They should make it year-round, or maybe we'd get sick of it in that case?
ReplyDeleteChipmunks: No way, ever.
The others? I rarely spend money in theaters, so Sherlock would be the only one I'd consider. The action & slow-mo sequences in the first were awesome and I'd like to see them on the big screen this time around.
I actually saw mission impossible tonight with co-workers (one of those order food theatres - which was good for this flick since you don't have to pay attention).
ReplyDeleteAnywho, renting is good. Pegg is the highlight for sure. And it's surprising because the humor isn't clever (they're fairly obvious jokes) but he still makes them funny.
Having had a friend burn out and die from meth use, I averted my eyes from Charlie Sheen's free fall, but I have to admit I was disappointed when I didn't hear the solid thunk of a man landing in a coffin.
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