Spider-Man III
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413300

We just saw the new Spider-Man III movie. I think it was like it’s second weekend, but for some reason there were only like 20 people in the theater, maybe because it was a Thursday.

In my estimation SM3 is simply building off of the success, and plot themes for that matter, of the first 2 Spider-Mans. It felt like Hollywood just put together the same basic recycled materials from the past SM successes, added a bunch of CGI, and slapped the title III on it.

Spider-Man does “Wow” you with some amazing effects, and watching Peter Parker fly through the air like a monkey whilst battling his old and new nemeses is fairly impressive. Yet, I found the characters abruptly 2-dimentional, the plot too confoundedly mixed between a revenge love story, re-avenging his uncle’s death, and unevenly concocted friend and foe elements. Simply put, Spider-Man III is a fancy plot-lacking repackaging of the first Spider-Man.

I found a few parts of the movie a bit disturbing for kids. There a scene where Peter Parker’s friend Harry gets stabbed through the chest fairly graphically, and few adult choice language scenes throughout. Also, there are some pretty scary moments, Emily and I even jumped once.

Now I should mention that Emily really liked the movie. But she is a lot less picky than I am, and she can just enjoy an action movie for the action. She also like the message behind the movie, telling kids that they always have a choice to chose to do right instead of wrong. Theologically, the movie incorrectly conveys that we all have “good” within ourselves and we just need to choose it. Hopefully, that theme won’t get too absorbed in a post-modern Gnostic world.

My final recommendation of Spider-Man III is that if you have an interest in the Marvel Comics movies and you liked the previous 2 Spider-Mans then you might enjoy seeing this one… once. Read more reviews and use discretion if you’re bringing your little kids.

 

Superman Returns
http://supermanreturns.warnerbros.com

Summertime is rich with box office smashes (literally), and this past weekend we had a chance to get to the theater. With openings in our busy schedules few and far between we took the chance, and choose to see Superman Returns.

I had heard fairly positive reviews for this movie, and so I was interested to see what the fuss was all about. After checking out the website and watching trailers, I was certainly intrigued to watch the movie.

Superman Returns delivers all that a summer movie should deliver, fast action and amazing feats. It’s got at least 2 amazing shockers that are worth the cost of a movie ticket to see.

However, in classic convergence with our culture’s lack of a moral standard Superman Returns delivers a surprise which I fear today’s youth do not need to model their heroes after. Lois Lane developing a smoking habit and living with her boyfriend are only two examples of how the old-school Superman has been modernized.

I also heard a review on the radio where one critic liked the movie so much he suggested you could bring your 5 year old to the theater. I would highly discourage this. This is an adult movie and the ability to handle highly violent scenes along with lifestyle discernment is necessary.

All that said, I still really enjoyed the movie. No matter how you post-modernize it, Superman is still Superman, and there’s a kid at heart that wishes he could fly around and save people too.

Bryan Singer did an amazing job at showing all the best features of the Man of Steel. The ability to see through walls and laser vision were done so very well. You get to see Superman actually fly faster than a speeding bullet – “so very cool.”

 

Pixar's: Cars
http://www.pixar.com/featurefilms/cars
http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/cars/main.html

After reading some critical review that made Pixar’s new flick “Cars” sound like it was a let down, I didn’t expect much. But boy was I delightfully surprised! Cars was a great movie, and we will definitely be purchasing it when it comes out on DVD.

The theme is simple, overzealous racecar “Lighting McQueen” gets lost on Route 66 on his way to the ultimate race for the prestigious “Piston Cup” and winds up learning what matters most in life through the help of some unlikely friends.

Cars is good wholesome fun for the whole family. I give it a 4.5 out of 5 and can’t wait to see it again.

The plot isn’t entirely original, but Pixar does a glamorous job of spinning an old story on new wheels. The movie is also accompanied by an amazing soundtrack featuring: Rascal Flatts, Sheryl Crow; James Taylor, and John Mayer.

Expect fast fun, quality storytelling, energetic music, cutting edge graphics, hilarious antics, and a lesson that will make you leave with a smile, and you won’t be disappointed.

 

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
http://www.iceagemovie.com/index.html

With our affinity for most “general audience” rated movies, we had been looking forward to seeing the new Ice Age movie. I must admit we even own the DVD of the 1st Ice Age flick (as Manny would say, “That’s right, don’t even have kids yet”), so we were hoping this one would measure up with the premiere even though it was an infamous Part 2 spin-off.

Ice Age 2 keeps the same loveable characters from Ice Age 1, though the plot line revolves around Manny (the Mammoth) and his budding love affair with a “previously thought to be extinct” she-Mammoth with a personality disorder (makes for very creative writing).

The movie itself was decent, and though some enjoy the antics of Sid (the Sloth), by far the funniest character remains to be Scrat (the Saber-toothed Squirrel). The writers repeatedly break away from the drama to show another short spot of Scrat paranoidedly chasing the proverbial acorn. The modern Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies comic genius of cartoon slapstick, Scrat has to be my favorite character.

Both of us were disappointed with the producer’s decision to include cloaked cusswords into the film. Perhaps for the amusement of adults or pre-teens these are the mildest of swearwords, but seriously… in a kid’s movie – this was the only distasteful part of the film.

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown was a very fun, mostly face-paced, and creative look as digital cinema’s imaginative minds give us a tale about sticking together, conflict resolution, loyalty, facing your fears, and love. A great movie to take the kids to (save the cussing), but probably one that I will only watch once.