Derrick hooked us up with tickets to an advance screening of Hancock Tuesday night at the Legacy Cinemark in Plano. I wasn’t feeling great, but since I’m a big fan of Will Smith I wasn’t going to turn it down. I’ve been looking forward to this movie for a while, and it didn’t disappoint.
Douglas Young on Imdb.com describes Hancock as “an unhappy and reluctant superhero who is living in his own world. For some unknown reason, Hancock is depressed and has started drinking very heavily. He has saved many lives in Los Angles over the years, but in doing so, he has no regards for damaging buildings, trains, roads, cars, or anything that gets in his way to get the job done. The last time he captured several criminals, it cost the city $9 million to fix the damages. The public has had enough of Hancock, and they want him to stop or go to another city. Then one day, Hancock saves the life of Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) from being run over by a train. Ray is a Public Relations executive who now can go home to his wife and child, because Hancock was there. Ray owes Hancock his life, and he makes it his mission to change his superhero’s image and have the public cheering him.”
The movie has garnered lukewarm to negative reviews from the critics. However, I’m not a critic; I liked the movie. It was a fun summer flick filled with humor, adventure, and action. Hancock is not a complex movie, but it did have more of a plot than I had originally expected. The movie isn’t deep, but I don’t think anyone seriously expects it to be that way. C’mon, it’s a summer blockbuster after all.
After a week in San Jose, I’m happy to report that I’m back in Dallas again. Tonight we went to Studio Movie Grill to celebrate my return home. We caught the 7:40 showing of Wanted. It’s not a movie for everyone. I call it a combo between the TV show, Chuck, and The Matrix. I think it’s more appealing to men than women, but with that said, I did enjoy it. The action was good (violent, but good), the plot was unique, and the main characters were well developed. I’m not necessarily a fan of Angelina Jolie, but she does tend to play strong female roles, and I like that about her. This movie is no exception. Plus, as Gary points out, “She even bleeds cool.” If you enjoyed The Matrix, you will probably like this movie too.
Back in the 60s there was a popular television show that spoofed the typical spy flicks of the time. The brain child of Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, Get Smart followed a secret agent who was a delightful mix between James Bond and Inspector Clouseau.Bumbling, clumsy and not too bright, Maxwell Smart always managed to save the day – mostly due to dumb luck and the skill of his partner, Agent 99.
The film adaptation of the movie was released this weekend, and we went to check it out. One of the things I liked about the movie is that it doesn’t try too hard to be the original Get Smart. It has elements of the original tv series, but doesn’t attempt to be an exact replica. I’ve read some reviews that criticize the movie because of this fact, but seriously, nothing is ever as good as the original.
With that said, I thought the movie was great.I’m not a big fan of Steve Carell, but he did a fantastic job of portraying this version of Maxwell Smart. There were some scenes that made me laugh so hard I cried. I won’t tell you what those scenes were because I don’t want to spoil the fun for you. Dwayne Johnson and Anne Hathaway also delivered good supporting performances as Agent 23 and Agent 99.
All in all, (use nasal Maxwell Smart voice here) “would you believe” I’m giving it an enthusiastic thumbs up? Yeah, that’s right.Go see it.If you are a Steve Carell fan, you will love it. If you aren’t, you will still love it – I did.
No, I’m not talking about becoming environmentally friendly. I’m talking about the big green monster that invaded theaters this weekend. I have to admit that I didn’t see the last Hulk movie. Although I watched the TV show when I was a kid, it wasn’t one of my favorite “super heroes.” Besides, the movie trailors were lame (IMO), and it looked like it was overladen with CGI (of which I’m not a big fan).
When I heard there was a new Hulk movie coming out, I didn’t care. I wondered why they would even release another one since the first movie didn’t do well. Everything changed when I heard Ed Norton was in the movie. It created a dilemma for me. I love Ed Norton’s work. He is an actor that I will watch in almost anything. So, to quote Keanu Reeves from Speed, “What do you do? What do you do?”
I caved. I figured if Ed Norton was doing it, then it must be good. Well, I hoped it was good. Actually, I think the quote I gave Gary as we walked to the theater was, “I’m expecting it to be bad, but I’m hoping I’m wrong.”
I’m delighted to report that I was wrong. The movie was great. Ed Norton did an excellent job of portraying Bruce Banner and humanizing his struggle to eliminate the green monster that lurks below the surface. Another nice treat was Liv Tyler. She’s not one of my favorite actresses, but she usually does good work. This time was no exception.
My only criticism is the final battle. It had too much CGI for my taste, and the **spoiler alert** Hulk on Hulk fight was a bit over the top. I’m sure most of the men in the audience loved it, but it’s just not my thing.
The movie has a couple of fun cameos. The original Hulk, Lou Ferrigno, appears as well as Stan Lee and Robert Downey Jr.
All in all, I would have to say that The Hulk is a fun summer flick. Check it out.
I seem to have lost my muse tonight and since I really need to get some sleep, I’m not going to stay up trying to find it. Instead, I’m opting to share something funny (well, an attempt at humor in corporate america) and something I love.
So, without further adieu, here they are.
More Stealth Dancing:
X-Files 2 Official Trailer (July 25, I can’t wait!):
Also, check out Gary’s first official “published” blog on The Truth About Cars website, Letter From Car and Driver. Yes, I know. I’m a proud wife, but you’ve got to admit, it’s pretty cool.
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