Busy weekend this weekend with three movies, so let's get started. First up is the Kevin Costner political dramedy Swing Vote. Swing Vote isn't bad. But it's not overwhelmingly good either. It's just kinda there. It has some good laughs and a great cast, but it didn't really move or charm me. Costner seemed like he was playing a stereotypical Matthew McConaughey who constantly rubbed and scratched his right arm. What's that about? Did anyone else notice this? I also found it odd seeing Stanley Tucci playing second fiddle to Kelsey Grammer. Those roles might have been better if they were reversed. I enjoyed the Dennis Hopper/Nathan Lane relationship a lot more and newcomer Madeline Carroll as Costner's daughter was a real bright spot in the film. The film ended as I expected and that was fine, but the final speech was too preachy and tried too hard to relay its message.Another film that had a message to convey, but did it in a more subtle and entertaining way is Brideshead 
Revisited. Taking place in early 20th century England, Brideshead Revisited provides a commentary on topics that are still prevalent today - homosexuality, love, religious pressures. Matthew Goode (yum!) stars as a young college student who becomes involved with the very upper class Flyte family and finds himself in a semi love triangle with fellow college student Sebastian and his sister Julia. Emma Thompson is also strong here as the matriarch of the Flyte family. I have not read the book on which this film is based nor have I seen the popular mini-series, so I can't compare the film to either of those. But I enjoyed the film on its own, although I did feel it was too long and dragged a bit in a few scenes. As I left the theater I heard an older gentleman describe the film as "terribly British." Terribly British is never bad.
Revisited. Taking place in early 20th century England, Brideshead Revisited provides a commentary on topics that are still prevalent today - homosexuality, love, religious pressures. Matthew Goode (yum!) stars as a young college student who becomes involved with the very upper class Flyte family and finds himself in a semi love triangle with fellow college student Sebastian and his sister Julia. Emma Thompson is also strong here as the matriarch of the Flyte family. I have not read the book on which this film is based nor have I seen the popular mini-series, so I can't compare the film to either of those. But I enjoyed the film on its own, although I did feel it was too long and dragged a bit in a few scenes. As I left the theater I heard an older gentleman describe the film as "terribly British." Terribly British is never bad.
The final film this weekend is the third Mummy film, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. This movie is pretty good if you don't listen to any of the dialogue. Listen in the beginning to understand the whole folklore of what's going on, but then you're good to tune in to only the action sequences which are actually pretty fun and have some nice CGI work - the yetis are particularly enjoyable.
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