I've Seen Some Flicks

I frequently make the joke that I'm so busy trying to get movies made that I rarely see them in the theater. But I have to, it's my church. If I go a month or so without catching a flick in the big, dark room, I start to get that itch. It's the same itch I get if I go a week or so without reading a book.

Lately, I got a real bug up my ass, and I've actually been hitting the theater like I did back in film school. I saw:

Wall-E -- fucking amazing. With a minimum of dialogue, it tells an intelligent, exciting and emotionally complex story. There are some really pertinent and subversive themes right out front, in big, bold letters so even kids'll get it, but without for one second stopping the movie to preach. This movie has one of the funniest scenes I've seen in a long time. (In case you've seen it, I'm talking about when the Axiom tips to the side). I was in tears. The movie reminded me in a lotta ways of Idiocracy, which Fox dumped for a single weekend. Which goes to show: if you truly want to talk to as many people as possible about something on your mind, wrap it in the most commercial possible project. You can play punk rock songs about how big corporations are bad and maybe sell a few thousand CDs and play a bunch of shows, or you can be Pixar, establish a track record for excellent and commercial titles, and you can express the same themes in a medium that'll play to millions worldwide.

Kung Fu Panda -- Overall, I'm a way bigger fan of Pixar than Dreamworks Animation. I like the first Shrek, but I absolutely hated Shark Tale. But I'd read a lot of great reviews of Kung Fu Panda, saying it was basically a straight-up wuxia movie with animals. They weren't lyin' -- this flick's awesome. There are some seriously kick-ass action sequences: Tai Lung's escape, the fight on the bridge, the climactic battle. The story doesn't reinvent the wheel... it's a pretty by-the-numbers coming of age kung-fu tale we've seen a million times, especially in the older flicks. It's obvious the filmmakers watched the classics; there are a lot of little nods and homages without ever doing a straight-up lift. For instance, there's a training sequence between Po and his master with a dumpling that's a lot like the "take this cup from my hand" scene in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (one of my all-time faves, BTW), their dojo has a room full of hazards that reminded me of 36 Chambers of Shaolin, the Furious Five are basically the good version of Five Deadly Venoms, etc. In the same way Wall-E packages subversive punk rock ideas into a form kids can like, Kung Fu Panda is like a kung fu/wuxia movie starter kit.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army -- I was gonna catch Wanted this past weekend, but this was playing in the main theater at Grauman's Chinese, and I'm a sucker for the big room. We're also taking a serious look at Hungary for The Un-Dead, which is where this shot, and I wanted to see what they got on the screen. I liked but didn't quite love the first Hellboy. I kinda felt the same way about this one, too. There's a lot to like. Since Gilliam's fallen on hard times, it's great to have a fantasist getting work into the theaters again. (Besides Tim Burton, I mean). The whole movie's stuffed with creatures and practical effects. There are some fun action sequences, I like Ron Perlman and I'm madly in love with Selma Blair. (Mmmmmmm... Selma Blair...) But, I dunno... it's the kinda movie that's awesome on paper, but while I was watching it I was just kinda-sorta engaged. It doesn't have any one scene that truly blew me away, like the Axiom-tipping in Wall-E or the bridge fight in Kung Fu Panda. I was way more engaged with the villain -- he had some cool weapons, he had an engaging arc, and I really dug his fight in the throne room. There are Guillermo del Toro movies I LOVE (Pan's Labyrinth, Devil's Backbone, Cronos) and movies I like (Blade II, Hellboy) and this one just falls in the latter category. Though I will say this -- the scenes in the Troll Market and the throne room got me excited to see Del Toro's take on The Hobbit. I think his take on the spiders in Mirkwood's gonna be awesome.