I’ve watched six movies at my folks’ house this weekend.
“
Men in Black.”
[Show spoiler]
Still pretty darn fun after all these years. It’s quite a quirky little film with plentiful amounts of action, intriguing special effects, and zany comedy. There are plenty of sight gags, witty lines, and amusing moments to keep it fresh and funny in its own wild way. And centering around the lore of ufology, the movie takes full advantage of poking fun at nerdy alien culture and government conspiracies. A lot of it can be a dry deadpan sort of humor, but it works. And beneath it all is a bit of a dark and morbid undertone, almost like a Tim Burton film (this might actually be a good compliment to “Mars Attacks!”).
The story is pretty decent, with a clever (albeit very unbelievable) premise and with a cast of decent characters. The movie sets up an interesting world of its own, and it is pretty tightly constructed.
The film is well-filmed (maybe a little on the wacky side, but not too much). Acting is pretty good all around. Production value is pretty good, although some sets, props, and costumes may appear a bit fake or dated. Most of the special effects hold up, but not quite all. Music is okay.
4/5 (entertainment: 4.5/5, story: 3.5/5, film: 4/5)
Recommendation: Yes.
The Blu-Ray is out of this world. Well, the picture quality has a fair amount of noise with iffy detail and some weak color/contrast. But it does show adequate sharpness, especially with some of the SFX scenes. Sound quality is awesome.
PQ: 3.5/5, AQ: 4.5/5
“
Men in Black II”
[Show spoiler]
Continuing in the same vein of the first film, “MIB II” has butt-loads more crazy comedy, bigger special effects, a more ambitious story, more action!
But is that really better. Meh…the story is ridiculous. In itself it feels very shallow and contrived, and is ultimately very short. But what really bothers me is that it is filled with one too many unbelievable moments (like a giant worm skyrocketing out of a sewer…and nobody sees it…uh huh…). One too many twists and turns strains it even further. The only redeeming value is that characters are still adequate. On repeat viewings, I’ve found that the story’s weaknesses can be forgivable, as the comedy and action are still pretty strong, more or less.
The film is still well-made with quality photography, adequate acting, and a high production value. A lot of the SFX are pretty fake-looking, but a lot of them are pretty cool as well.
3/5 (entertainment: 3.5/5, story: 2.5/5, film: 3.5/5)
Recommendation: Liked the first film? Rent this, see what you think.
A Blu-Ray for this would be nice. But it looked surprisingly good upscaled.
“
X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”
[Show spoiler]
What’s the best way to kick off a series of “X-Men” prequels? Start with the best, most badass character! Ah yeah…
“Wolverine” shows incredible promise, as it pits the title character against jeeps, helicopters, mutants, military firepower, and the works! There is definitely no shortage of frenetic action and special effects here!
As far as the story goes, I generally dig it. Berserker characters like Wolverine have always interested me (maybe I’m one myself!!). Like any other story with these kinds of characters, “Wolverine” goes on to show a bit of a heartfelt tale in which the main character tries to reconcile his wicked past, only to have it catch up to him. From then on, the revenge plot emerges. The plot twist toward the end kinda messes this up, but it still works in general. What really messes it up though is all the extra stuff heaped onto it: the useless subplot with Cyclops, for example, or the whole spiel with Gambit. They might be cool, but there’s just too much going on in this story, and it becomes very convoluted. If they trimmed it down and made it just Wolverine vs Victor Creed and Wolverine vs the military, it would probably be more solid.
The film is a bit of a mess too. Photography is generally good, although some action scenes are a bit jittery. Acting is great with a few exceptions. Editing is a mess in my opinion; I think I read that the studio imposed themselves on this film, and it kinda shows. There are just way too many scenes where characters appear out of nowhere (like Gambit suddenly jumping from a rooftop when he was previously knocked out, or Victor Creed suddenly showing up for the final fight), and some scenes really do look like they were spliced in (like the scene where Cyclops is captured in school). On the plus side, production value is generally high (despite a few fake-looking SFX) and music is pretty good.
3/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 3/5, film: 2.5/5) Came pretty close to upping it to 3.5 though.
Recommendation: Rent it if interested.
The Blu-Ray is swell. Picture quality looks awesome sometimes, but other times it does look a bit soft and noisy. Noticed a few anomalies here and there, but it is otherwise pretty clean. Color and contrast are okay. Sound quality totally rocked.
PQ: 4/5, AQ: 5/5
“
X-Men.”
[Show spoiler]
Here’s where the big modern superhero craze started (or did it start with “Blade?” I dunno). It’s certainly the first in a while. With the promise of bringing a legendary group of heroes to the big screen, “The X-Men” succeeds in presenting the X-Men universe with a fairly strong amount of action and special effects.
For the most part though, the story takes the center stage. It swiftly moves along, showcasing the premise and setting up each of the characters and plot elements with precision. By the end of the movie, you get to know all about the megalomaniac plot, the fairly-deep characters, and the conflict-ridden world they inhabit. It’s not bad for a superhero film.
The film has great photography. Editing is a little fast, but never erratic. Acting and writing is fine all around. Production value is decent. Music is okay.
4/5 (entertainment: 4/5, story: 4/5, film: 4/5)
Recommendation: Yes.
This Blu-Ray looks slick and sharp, and pretty clean. Some color/contrast can be a little weak, and there is some grain/noise. Sound quality is pretty good.
PQ: 4/5, AQ: 4/5
“
X2: X-Men United.”
[Show spoiler]
A quality sequel can potentially surpass its predecessor. They usually attempt this with overblown action, special effects, a more ambitious plot, etc. “X2” has all of these things, and they are incredibly entertaining. The entire last half-hour at Alkalai Lake is pretty darn incredible in itself, but the rest of the film is loaded with awesome action scenes.
And yet, the story is still quite strong. The characters are about as deep as they were in the first film. The story is a little broader and more in-depth, as it dives deeper into Wolverine’s back-story, the political backdrop of the X-Men world, and the themes of power and superpowers in general.
The film has excellent photography. Acting is still great. Production value is very good. Music is pretty darn good.
5/5 (entertainment: 5/5, story: 4.5/5, film: 4.5/5)
Recommendation: Yes.
This Blu-Ray has excellent picture quality. There might be a little bit of noise/grain, but it is definitely sharper, cleaner, and has better color/contrast than the first film. Sound quality is pretty good.
PQ: 4.5/5, AQ: 4.5/5
“
X-Men: The Last Stand.”
[Show spoiler]
This third film can be a hit-or-a-miss with most folks. For me, it definitely has enough action to keep it a hit. It is one heck of a cool finale.
The story is perhaps a little hokey with the premise (a cure for mutation), but I felt it worked in general, especially in ramping up the heated issue of mutant civil rights to progress the overall story arc. Characters can be a hit-or-a-miss too, especially since some of them are killed off unnecessarily and some may receive iffy treatment. On the film’s own merits, I find it passable in general. Die-hard “X-Men” fans might be disappointed though.
The film has quality photography. Acting is not bad. Production value is high. Music is okay.
4/5 (entertainment: 4.5/5, story: 3.5/5, film: 4/5)
Recommendation: Fan of the first two films? Rent this, see what you think.
This Blu-Ray looks sharp and highly detailed, but with a pretty hefty amount of film grain and noise that can be distracting. Sound quality is great.
PQ: 4/5, AQ: 5/5
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Dudes and Dudettes
My selection wasnt as magical as I remembered it to be from decades ago. Oops.
Ah, the 60s and 70s were special times. 
Sounded like the whole thing was recorded in a sound booth. Very tight and contained. LFE was inappropriately bombastic (over the top rumbly) during music scenes and underwhelming during dynomite and guns. 
Linear Mode
