I Want To Believe In Step Brothers

Pretty traditional weekend with two movie viewings. First up, The X-Files: I Want to Believe. This movie wasn't all that bad. But I never watched the television show and I don't think I've seen the first movie since opening weekend back in 1998, so my expectations may be quite different from those die hard fans. For me it was an entertaining mystery. Simple as that. I guess you could say I was kind of disappointed that there wasn't really anything paranormal about the plot, but what can ya do? I enjoyed the story and had a good time.


Step Brothers is the other big film this weekend. This is another film in the long line of "man child" films from Will Ferrell and the rest of his comedy troupe. Don't get me wrong, I love those movies. I just don't think Step Brothers was as high of quality as some of the others. It had it's funny moments and over the top gags, but I felt that it kind of fizzled as the film progressed. I still had a good time and laughed quite a bit, but I think it could have been a lot more.

Other Movie Hodgepodge

Since I started this blog towards the end of the summer movie season I thought we'd go back and do a quick recap of the great movies so far. I'm a relatively easy movie reviewer. I don't go into a film expecting perfection, I only wish to be entertained. After all, isn't that was movies are supposed to do? It takes a lot for me to really dislike a movie. Here we go:

Iron Man was super good. Really clever and sharp. I loved Downey and Paltrow together.
Speed Racer was not as bad as people said. It was too long. I think it very easily could have been two 90 minute relatively good movies. As it is now there's just too much going on. And I HATED that Paulie Litt kid. He totally ruined the movie.
What Happens In Vegas was surprisingly really funny. Honestly this movie looked pretty bad, so I was more than surprised to actually enjoy it.
Indiana Jones 4 was a great adventure. I'm not a Jones enthusiast so I didn't really judge it in comparison to the other films. All I wanted was for it to be better than the God awful crap that was the second movie and it is by miles.
Sex and the City was the perfect big screen adaptation. I'm not obsessed with the show like some people and never watched it when it was on HBO, but I really had a good time while watching this movie.
The Strangers was a perfectly suitable fright flick.
Kung Fu Panda was mildly disappointing. For me it didn't really have the heart or cleverness that recent animated films have had. And it kind of seemed like a waste of a lot of voice talent since some of the secondary characters had very minimal dialogue.
The Incredible Hulk was tremendously better than the previous Hulk attempt. I love Edward Norton and really enjoyed this film.
The Happening was also not as bad as everyone said. I for one kind of really enjoyed it. It was quirky and different and I really enjoyed Wahlberg and Deschanel here.
The Love Guru was awful. I'm surprised I was even able to sit through this movie.
Get Smart was also a pleasant surprise. I was on the fence about this film based on the previews, but it happily delivered a good time.
Wall*e was wonderful. This film had everything I felt Kung Fu Panda had lacked. Everything Pixar touches turns to gold.
Wanted was good, but I'm not 100% in love with it. The voice over dialogue kind of bugged - it just wasn't written well. And I'm all for improbable plot points and storylines, but sometimes there is such a thing as too many. Great action though.
Hancock was a good ride too. I really appreciated that they kept the SPOILER! Charlize Theron storyline a secret.
Journey to the Center of the Earth was geekishly good and really fun in 3D.

And that brings us to the present and the previous post. If there is a summer movie that is not listed above it is because I had no interest in seeing it.

A couple of advance screening mentions. In June I saw The Rocker (opening August 20) starring Rainn Wilson. The trailers for this movie do not do it justice. It is laugh out loud funny and surprisingly entertaining. About two weeks ago I saw Tropic Thunder (opening August 13) starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr. This movie is also laugh out loud funny and really good. You'll never look at Tom Cruise the same way.

The Bat and the Three Dads

I usually see at least one movie each weekend. Very often more than one. I will try from time to time to give you a witty, cleverly written review of the films, but let's face it - I'm lazy and most of the time not all that witty or clever.

Yes, I was one of the many people who saw The Dark Knight at a 12:01 showing Thursday night. And yes, it was more than worth it. The Dark Knight is great and fantastically entertaining. I was thrilled to see that it shattered box office records it's opening weekend. In my opinion Spider-Man 3 sucked and I'm glad it's no longer the record holder for having the biggest three day opening in movie history. No doubt many people flocked to the theater to marvel at Heath Ledger's final performance. And marvel I hope they did. Terrifically psychotic, Ledger's Joker is pure devilish fun. Christopher Nolan is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors alongside David Fincher. The Dark Knight, like Batman Begins, is shrouded in an unbelievable style and ambiance. It's just stunning to look at.

The second movie seen this weekend is the film adaptation of the hit stage musical Mamma Mia! It's better everyone knows this upfront: I love musicals. I saw Mamma Mia! on stage last year and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The film thankfully stays incredibly true to the stage production - thanks in part to director Phyllida Lloyd (who also directed the stage show) and screenwriter Catherine Johnson (who was the book writer for the stage show). The big screen adaptation is fun. Plain and simple laugh out loud fun. But it's not perfect. Is anything really? The singing is not Broadway caliber greatness. But these are not Broadway singers, so comparing the two is not entirely fair. The tunes are undeniably catchy (ABBA!) and the cast (an awesome assembly of veteran all stars and youngster stand out Amanda Seyfried) bubbles with enthusiasm.

The One With The First Post

So I decided to set up a blog. Not so much because I have life events worth sharing or because there are droves of people lining up to share in such events, but basically because I thought of the title "Q's Views" years ago and have yet to put it to good use. So while I was in the shower about 20 minutes ago (yes, like most people, I do my best thinking while in the bathroom) I decided to finally put my "Q's Views" page into motion.

This page will focus on my, The Q's, Views in regards to something really important: Film and Television. And on special occasions, Theatre. I would include music and books among my topics, but do not for specific reasons. First, music. I have great taste in music. No, really. You wish you could borrow my ipod. I'd estimate that at least 90% of what is on my ipod has never been played on the radio. As such, I am very protective of my music. It's special. It's sacred. It's not been whored out to the masses for instant gratification and then left by the curb only to be remembered with some kind of lame end of the year montage. Second, books. I do not read. Okay, rarely do I read.

Most of the time on this page will be devoted to film, as it has been my focus since the summer of 1995. My moviegoing is extensive and far exceeds my television viewing. In regards to my television viewing, most of you TV enthusiasts will see it as lacking and far inferior than yours. That's fine. I have no problem with that. I don't have cable and out of some freakish and unexplained long standing pledge of loyalty I rarely watch anything that is not broadcast on NBC (note the title of this post). I do not watch Grey's Anatomy, I do not watch anything with the letters CSI in the title and for the love of God, I do not watch American Idol.

With all that being said, welcome to The Q's Views and I hope you enjoy the reading.