The Politics of the Box Office: At Theaters Near You…

I see a lot of movies.  More than almost anyone else I know.  This is probably because I am broke and out of work and $4.25 for a ticket to a movie is the cheapest entertainment around.  Whatever the case may be, I have seen a lot of the films out right now, and if you can’t decide whether or not to catch a movie this week, let these short reviews help you decide.

Super 8 – This film, written and directed by Lost‘s JJ Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg, is a mix between ET, The Goonies, and Cloverfield, with a healthy dash of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The resulting film is astounding.  The mixture really works–it is a terrifying horror film at parts, and an endearing coming of age film in other parts.  The child actors really shine–their friendships are very believable and the relationship between them and their parents seem real–to the point where I can remember having conversations with my parents which exactly mimic those in the film.  This film is incredibly approachable–whether you are on a date, or looking to take your grandparents to see a movie, you won’t go wrong with this choice.  A quick caveat: several of my female friends who are very into film had strange reservations about this film–so, if you are a girl, think twice.

X-Men: First Class – I tried really hard NOT to like this film.  After being a little underwhelmed by Thor earlier this summer, I thought that comic book films were wearing too thin on me.  However, I couldn’t help but like this film.  Michael Fassbender does absolutely fantastic in this film–to the point where you root for Magneto by the end of the film.  James McAvoy turns in a good performance also, and Kevin Bacon plays a fantastic 1960s villain.  Though the film gets a little crowded with the supporting mutants, I felt connected enough to all the characters to enjoy the film.  This film is a prequel, and I believe prequels ought to have a sense or foreboding which eventually results in the problem encountered in the original film.  This movie does a good job with that–the tension between Fassbender and McAvoy is done very well.

The Hangover Part II – As you have probably heard by now, this film is exactly like the first one, but in Thailand.  Though the scale was much bigger, and the setting was different, this film didn’t work for me because it attempts to rehash literally every plot point from the first film, down to extremely minute details.  I laughed in parts–but not a lot.  The characters worn extremely thin in this too–I don’t understand how Bradley Cooper became a leading man–his career must be charmed or something.  I don’t really find Zack Galifianakis funny, and the Paul Giamatti cameo really fell flat in my opinion.  If you are in the mood for a comedy, go see Bridesmaids instead.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – Every once in a while there is a character that an actor or writers love, which causes that character to live longer than he should (for instance, Rocky Balboa).  Jack Sparrow has become the newest iteration of this phenomenon.  I knew this going into this film, and you ought to as well.  If you go to see this film, don’t expect anything incredible.  Buy some popcorn and a soda, kick back, and let it wash over you.  There is absolutely nothing in this film that is any different than the first three Pirates films, but I still managed not to hate it.  You don’t like Jack Sparrow nearly as much as Johnny Depp does, but if you are anything like me, you like him alright–probably even enough to go see Pirates 5.

Bridesmaids – I laughed more in this film than I have in any other film this year.  I have been a huge Kristen Wiig fan for a very long time, but I was worried that her “I’m CRAZY!” schtick wouldn’t translate well to film.  But in this film, she didn’t rely on her character at all–and she was still hilarious and awesome.  This film was produced by Judd Apatow (Superbad, Pineapple Express, Knocked Up) and folks were worried that making his brand of film about women wouldn’t work–but it really did.  I am not a woman, and therefore cannot really comment about what female friendships are like–but this seemed real.  All the performances were top notch, but the show stealer for me was Melissa McCarthy (The Gilmore Girls).  She was absolutely hilarious in every scene which she was in.  Finally, I think a lot of female comedies seem to be afraid to portray their characters as attractive (for instance, Tina Fey always talks about how she is fat in 30 Rock, which doesn’t make sense to me).  This film doesn’t do that–Kristen Wiig is hooking up with Jon Hamm in the first scene, which I think is a very refreshing take on how casual relationships work in the real world (ie, not ugly old men and bombshell blond ladies).

Thor – I had very high expectations of this film.  Kenneth Branaugh is one of my favorite people in film–I watched his Hamlet when I was a kid and went through a weird Shakespeare phase.  Unfortunately, this film failed to meet my expectations.  The performances were great–Chris Hemsworth plays a fantastic Thor, Kat Dennings is great, Natalie Portman does a fine job, and Idris Elba was epic (in the few scenes where he appears)–but the story falls a little flat.  The story is okay, but it seems a little condensed and a little crowded.  Things kept happening, and I never really got a chance to connect with many of the characters in the way in which I wanted them too.  However, the films visuals are stunning.  Asgard looks great–and I really like how it emphasizes the technological aspects of the mythology over the magical.  In reality, this film suffered in my eyes because I expected it to be too good.  If you don’t make the same mistake, you will be fine.

Like I said, I watch too many movies.  I hope this helps you pick something out for this weekend.

I do a film podcast/radio show, which you can listen to here.  We are fun, and the show is entertaining.  I promise!