Law Abiding Citizen

Maybe its just the fact that I don’t love Jamie Foxx as much as everyone else but I found myself look for excuses to root for Gerard Butler’s character throughout, even though he was about as crazy as a movie character can be and Foxx played a man of justice. I’m pretty sure everyone starts off rooting for Butler…and then he goes and does something real crazy and mangles a couple guys. But because those guys had it coming, most people were still probably in Butler’s corner…and then he goes and kills some more people. But because these people were innocent, I’d be willing to bet this turned the majority of the audience against him. Not me. I found myself saying, “Ehh, sure this dude is bat-shit crazy but I probably would be too if I were in his shoes.” But then he kills some more defenseless people and I found it a lot tougher to make a case validating what he does. It’s predictable but still suspenseful, intensely violent but not too graphic, smart but not convoluted, and Gerard Butler gets back to what he’s good at- FSU (F***ing S*** Up), verdict: $$$$

Clash of the Titans

While it was as life altering a movie going experience as I had hoped, I still really liked Clash of the Titans. Seeing the movie in 3D added almost nothing to that experience. It didn’t detract from the movie too greatly other than it made me think, imagine how cool this could have been had the 3D not be a let down. Regardless, this is still definitely a theatre movie. I’ve heard complaints about how the writing is bad, the acting is flat and the action isn’t really that actiony. While I agree that none of these areas really stood out more than the rest, I felt that they were all quite solid. Worthington, who as you may recall from previous entries, is my boy. He won’t win an Oscar for this but its quite hard to imagine anyone else playing this part. The actress who played Io, Gemma Arterton, was perfectly cast. She and Worthington had a good deal of chemistry, and she more than held her in own in a movie with some fairly big names, plus she’s not bad to look at. Those minor roles were also cast very well. The band of misfit soldiers who accompany Perseus just seem to work as a group. I would have liked it if they could have found a way to focus more on the dynamic between Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes but I don’t see a way to do that without substantially dragging out the major story line. They also talk about the limited character development that occurs, and how Perseus goes from goofy fishermen to legendary warrior almost overnight. It’s a two hour movie; you can’t lay everything out in great detail. The director is giving the audience enough credit that they can figure out that when Perseus is thrust into this environment, his god-like instincts take over and he is able to rise to the challenge in front of him. The monsters looked great; they weren’t quite iconic but they were no way comedic in appearance. I would have liked to have seen them do more with either the battle between Perseus and the Kraken, or Perseus and Hades. However, they have set themselves up quite well for an intense sequel, as much less time would have to be devoted to back story. As somehow who is fascinated by Greek mythology (yes, I did have a girlfriend or two in high school) I really can’t wait to see more installments, as well as other myth-based movies, verdict: $$$$

She’s Out of My League

She’s Out of My League is simply out of its league when compared with the Hangover. This movie is fairly funny, providing modest chuckles, as well as a few legitimate belly laughs. However, it is so outrageously stupid, although the chick is outrageously hot (just felt obligated to meet my quota for references to hot actresses making movies more watchable), that it is hard to take it seriously enough to consider a successful comedy. If you watch this movie, you’ll be decently entertained for an hour and half but if I asked you about it a week later, you probably won’t be able to tell me what about it you found funny. Because if it is every bit as forgettable as it is funny, the verdict is: $$$