Among the various things we do together, the woman and I have taken to going out (at least) every Tuesday night to see a movie. So in the last month and a half, I’ve had more visits to the theater than I generally would over the span of a year. Unfortunately, they can’t all be as fantastic as Iron Man, but here’s a quick rundown of some of the flicks I’ve gone to see lately.
Sex and the City : The most recent movie outing was obviously entirely by her choice. I’ve only ever watched the show because we were watching TV one night and she decided that that’s what we’d be watching. Anyway, I cannot say I detested the movie. It was not something I enjoyed either, being two and a half hours of clothes and girl talk, but there were just enough legitimately funny moments that I wasn’t overly compelled to kill myself just to make it end. I shouldn’t have to tell guys to stay away from this one, but not falling asleep and pretending it wasn’t so bad will make your woman happy.
The Strangers : I was totally psyched to see this one. I love scary movies, and even the trailer had me creeped out. It actually did deliver on that promise of scariness, too. The creepy mask people were in fact creepy as all Hell, appearing out of nowhere and then sliently fading back into the shadows. I still get the jibblies when I’m in the dark and that damn sack mask enters my mind. The horror aspect of the movie was great and worth seeing it for, but otherwise, there wasn’t much. The plot was really bare-bones, and nothing really happened. It’s like the horror version of Open Water; a drawn-out dramatization of a true story.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull : I thought it was great, no surprise there. I’ve actually only ever seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I’m pretty sure that this movie lives up pretty well to the original Indiana Jones trilogy (well, that’s what I hear). It’s was plenty of fun, and I quite enjoyed even the scenes that some claim may have been a bit over-the-top. My only qualm with the movie is that it was all about aliens. Had we heard a bit more about whatever (assumed) Area 51 goodies they found in the opening scene, I may have been more at ease with it, but as it stands that scene was totally unrelated and mostly served just to introduce the villain. But I wasn’t even too annoyed by Shia Labeouf, and I can’t stand that guy, so we’ll call it a pretty huge success.
Made of Honor : Again, not my choice. But to my surprise, it was totally bearable! In fact, I might even risk my right to be called a man by saying I maybe even enjoyed it a little. Throughout the movie, I couldn’t help but think of how much Patrick Dempsey’s character reminded me of Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark. In any case, the “comedy” portion of romantic comedy was the one that was emphasized in this movie, and it also helps that the story revolved around the male lead character and not the female. I’d say that if you’re stuck seeing a chick flick, this is probably as good as you’re going to get.
What Happens in Vegas : We saw this one on a whim because we were late for Made of Honor that day, but it turned out really well. It stars Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz, so you’re not going to be getting a strong story or intelligent humour, but I’ll admit that I did like this one. Pretentious assholes who are too self-involved to enjoy the everyman’s comedy won’t get anything from it, but if you see the humour in fart jokes and the like, then you’re in for a pretty good time.
88 Minutes : I’m not one for the crime drama genre, or whatever it is that this one falls under, but I guess it was good? I was supremely bored with Michael Clayton, but 88 Minutes managed to hold my attention for the duration of the movie, so that’s something. Maybe. I guess. I really don’t know what else to say. I haven’t talked to anyone else who’s seen it, or read any reviews or anything, so I don’t really have anything to go on. In conclusion, I enjoyed it, and the woman enjoyed it, so nobody’s complaining. Do I actually need to say somethign about the movies when I do these short little one-paragraph reviews?