Currently browsing the "fantasy" tag.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1

Yes, I was indeed among the masses who helped Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part One reap nearly $140 Million at the box office in its opening weekend. And I make no apologies. I read the books and liked them (for the most part). I saw the first three movies in the series. The first one was quite bad; the second one was better; the third one was quite good. And now, the fourth – well, it’s definitely weak. But it doesn’t really matter. Once you’re sucked into the franchise, you have no choice but to see it through (thus the boffo box office numbers for this penultimate installment of the franchise). My only hope is that Part Two somehow manages to provide a more satisfying conclusion than the book itself, which was my least favorite of the bunch.

Monte Carlo

To steal (and paraphrase) my favorite line from Monte Carlo, it’s like the “Sisterhood of the Traveling de France”. If you don’t get the reference, you’re probably way outside this movie’s target demo.

Midnight in Paris

I’m not (book) smart enough to fully appreciate Midnight in Paris, but I would certainly encourage fans of the literary and art world of the 1920s to check it out. The movie presents an interesting, somewhat whimsical Woody Allen-ified twist on the time travel genre.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One

Okay, I must confess. I’m a rather ignorant muggle when it comes to the Harry Potter franchise. I haven’t read the books, and I don’t think I’ve seen all the movies. But I don’t live under a pop culture rock, so I can definitely understand and appreciate their appeal. And I can attest – with a certain amount of confidence – that the penultimate Potter flick, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One will satisfy most if not all of the HP fans, young and old, and leave ‘em wanting (and waiting) for more. Unfortunately, they’ll have to wait eight friggin’ months! Part Two doesn’t hit theaters until July. And therein lies the movie’s only real flaw. HPATDH Part One draws you in from the very first frame, cruises along at a steady clip, and ends – abruptly. No fair! What am I supposed to do now? Read the book!?

Hereafter

The trailers and marketing for Hereafter are very misleading. It’s no more a “Matt Damon movie” than Babel was a “Brad Pitt flick”. In fact, until Damon’s character makes an appearance, you could easily mistake Hereafter for some sort of independent foreign film. It’s very much an ensemble effort, spearheaded by director Clint Eastwood, and it features three diverse plot lines that ultimately converge in a somewhat contrived but generally satisfying way.

Charlie St. Cloud

I see dead people. Or, at least, I see Zac Efron seeing dead people in the fantasy romantic drama Charlie St. Cloud. The movie is part Ghost, part Ghost Whisperer and part Sixth Sense, so it’s fairly easy to stay one step ahead of the dialogue and plot, with just a few exceptions.

The Last Airbender

As a rule, I’ve stayed away from M. Night Shyamalan movies ever since The Village. But since The Last Airbender didn’t seem to be a typical Shyamalan flick and because I had a seven-year-old boy asking me to take him, I broke my rule.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Ka-Ching! There’s no way this franchise won’t continue to make millions (upon millions upon millions), no matter what the critics – or any Twilight naysayers- might have to say about it. The first Twilight movie was pretty bad. Actually, it was really, really, almost comically bad. But two satisfying sequels later – and all is forgiven.

Toy Story 3

I took my nephew to see Toy Story 2 back in 1999. He was three years old, and loved the movie (as much as a three-year-old can. He was a tad squirmy back then but the movie definitely resonated with him, and me.) Fast-forward ELEVEN (!!) years, and we returned to the same theater for Toy Story 3. And thank goodness, this Pixar sequel did not disappoint. Like the original Toy Story, and its first sequel Toy Story 2… Toy Story 3 is more than just a good animated movie. It’s a good movie period. That’s because it works on so many levels, for kids and adults, with a great ensemble cast, a relatable story, humor, poignancy, action.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon