Catching up

Okay, I know it’s been a little while since the last post. So now I’m going to unload my pop culture thoughts that have been piling up for the past few weeks.

Movies:
Wow. How long has it been? I will start where I think I left off.

The A-Team
I was kind of surprised by this movie. It was a nice summer popcorn movie. I like all of the actors and they had some good energy. You might have to turn your brain off for a little while because of some plot contrivances, but I was willing to overlook them because of the frenetic pace. It’s also completely an implausible movie (a tank parachuting to the ground for example) but I kind of like that they went “balls out” and just had fun. I give this movie a B for being a good B-movie.

Toy Story 3
I thought the first Toy Story was okay. I thought the second one was quite a bit better and now I think the third one is the best. In my opinion, Pixar knocked another one out of the park. This movie touches all the right notes. I loved the opening train scene. I thought it was hilarious. I loved the ending and how everyone in the theater was sniffly because of it. I loved everything in between those two points. I don’t know how Pixar does it but they know how to tell a story. They are apparently starting to advise Disney on some of their other movies like Tron: Legacy and the next Muppet movie. People are starting to realize the system Pixar has is one that works well. This movie gets an A.

Knight and Day
I know some people hate either Tom Cruise of Cameron Diaz… and they are free to do so. One of the people I work with feels this way, but yet she tells me she really liked this movie. I can’t explain it. The movie is along the same lines as the A-Team. It’s a fun summer popcorn movie. Cruise and Diaz (whom I both like as actors) do a good job of mixing action/humor/sexual tension. It’s not a 4 star movie but it accomplishes what it sets out to do. It’s more of a matinee movie. Once again, implausible scenarios but I didn’t mind. Check it out. B

Despicable Me
This is no Toy Story 3, but it is a fun little cartoon. I thought the little minions were funny, the little girls were cute, and that Jason Segal and Steve Carrell did a good job with their voice roles. I think this is probably another matinee movie, but it will entertain children and adults. If you’ve already seen Toy Story 3, then this is the movie to see next.

Inception
Inception is a great movie. Christopher Nolan continues what I believe is a perfect streak of movies. I don’t know how you come up with a story like this. It’s so imaginative. I loved how 3-4 things were happening at the same time and how that ratcheted up the tension. I thought the cast was terrific. I loved the ending (you know what I’m talking about). I think this is probably the ‘movie of the year’ so far. Everyone I know that’s seen it has really loved it. Word of caution though, don’t go in half asleep, you will have to pay attention to enjoy this one. Bring on Batman 3!! A.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World
Okay so technically I haven’t seen this movie yet, but I feel it necessary to plug it. Scott Pilgrim is based on a graphic novel about a dude who starts dating this girl with 7 evil ex-boyfriends who want to beat him up. Yeah it kind of sounds absurd, but that’s the point. If you love video games, this movie is also a love letter to them. Everything takes place in a surreal video game world… you’ll see what I mean if you look at the trailer. This movie is made by the same guy who directed “Shawn of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz,” so you know it’s going to be funny too. All of the internet people that I trust, say this movie is going to rock. So, yeah, I know you’ve never read the graphic novel and the trailer seems ‘different,’ forget all that and go see this. It is important that this movie succeed, so we can have some more imaginative films in the future. I promise to apologize if the movie sucks… but I find that unlikely.

All right, well that’s quite a bit of typing I did there. I will have to hold off on my other topics (i.e. the amazing Paul McCartney concert) until next time. Now what movies have you all enjoyed this summer.