“WALL-E”

Wall-E in Disney's presentation of Pixar's Wall-E - 2008

I passed on seeing “Tropic Thunder” (I had a sneak preview pass) last night and decided instead to review “Wall-E” which I saw a month ago in Dallas for obvious reasons based on what I saw in the trailer alone. I mean, after sitting through (wasting my time) the latest Mummy movie last week, seeing the “Tropic Thunder” trailers, and peeling through the packet of press information the studio sent me on the film (disaster) I decided I might as well write a review for something I enjoyed at the local cinema rather than have yet another disappointing experience.

So here it is… WALL-E is not just a film for kids: This epic CGI movie spoke to me cerebrally in many different ways, from the way we as humans are treating our planet, to the way I personally allow technology to take over many aspects of my own life. Anyone who has seen the film knows that the human race is slowly headed toward something not too different from what is depicted in the movie.

WALL-E is a small waste collecting robot; actually, the last waste collecting robot left on what was once Earth. The “evil empire” known in the film as “Buy n Large” (aka Wal-Mart) has literally taken over the planet as its soul source for everything, and thusly has ruined humankind, leaving the planet desolate and deserted. While saying very little, WALL-E manages to communicate with the audience quite well, from his Macintosh sound effects, to his odd computer chatter, this is the “Johnny Five” (Short Circuit) for a new generation… Only Cuter!

When WALL-E meets “Eve” a probe sent from the Axiom (a spaceship used to evacuate all of Earths inhabitants) in order to find plant life, the adventure truly begins…

Everything in this movie just works, from stunning visuals, to simple characters with a very serious agenda. Sure the kids will love it, but adults will identify with the urgency to make changes and eventually save the planet for future generations. If you love Pixar films this is the first to feature non-CGI footage from movies like “Hello Dolly” as well as others into the otherwise purely animated world.

Composer Thomas Newman’s score enhances the story by keeping it in motion, and stays out of the way until truly needed. A fantastic balance of sight and sound this film is a winner!

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Brendan Fraser in Universal Pictures' The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - 2008

As a fan of the first and second “Mummy” movies I had pretty decent expectations for this one. So after the high I received from the Batman sequel,  I bought my ticket on Fandango nearly a week ago for the midnight release of the film and was even joined by a colleague and his wife for the occasion.

Upon arriving at the theater to pick up my ticket, I first realized something might be up when I asked the gentleman if there would be a line forming for the film and he replied with a smirk “I don’t think but six people even bought tickets for the showing”.

It all made sense after about 10 minutes into the movie which contains more bad one-liners than an evening with Joan and Melissa Rivers.  Now, let me say this… I’ve never seen Brendan Fraser (Rick O’Connell) as a particularly good actor, but couple that with a poor script and bad direction, and you’re in for something I was literally embarrassed to be sitting and watching.

As a critic I always try to balance the bad with the good, but in this case I’d have to rank this movie up there with “Glitter”.  About 20 minutes into the film an amazing amount of action occurs throwing the viewer for at least 4 minutes into something that resembles one of the previous Mummy movies.

Overall – This was a bad attempt at making an Indiana Jones-type film, (complete with Lucas-like wipes) containing horribly Hollywood cliches, and battling Jet Li and an even worse attempt at a plot that we’ve seen time and time again.

The score… (what I could hear of it) was cookie cutter at best, but the Jet Li character’s motif was Brassy and Bombastic almost parodying the way the film was marketed!

I took the walk of shame on this one with my friends… Don’t waste your time!

“The Dark Knight”

Christian Bale as Batman and Heath Ledger as the Joker in Warner Bros. Pictures' The Dark Knight - 2008

Well to be honest, I waited a week on seeing this one to avoid the crowds.  So last night I grabbed a ticket and headed into a late showing with around 40 people.  I had heard nothing but rave reviews, and I had very high expectations…  All I can say is WOW.

Not only does the movie begin already ‘in progress’, but it is full of Incredible acting, a fantastic storyline, and much like its predecessor – Nolan and company are able to convince a person that Batman could really exist.

With hype at an all time high due to the unfortunate loss of Heath Ledger (Joker) The Dark Knight is a cinematic marvel that truly delivers.  Ledger actually managed to scare the crap out of me (Holy Toilet Paper!) and I found myself laughing awkwardly enough at his psychotic antics.  While Bale’s Bat-voice is much to be desired and sounded like a bad impression of Michael Keaton’s 1989 Batman, his overall performance as Bruce Wayne really hit the mark, and his playboy style finally makes itself known after years of sliding down a Bat-pole.

Is it for children? Hmm… Let me say this; There is very little to no blood actually shown on screen, but there is ALOT of violence and the film is speckled with moments of sheer terror.  Aaron Eckhart’s (Harvey Dent) performance also raises the bar above any previous Bat-film: His face however, could have some of you wondering, “How’d they do that!?”

Overall, you need to see this movie whether or not you are a batman fan or not.  In a world of so much violence and hate, all of us could use a Dark Knight.

See you next week, same Bat-Time… Same Bat-Blog!

THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in 20th Century Fox's The X-Files: I Want to Believe - 2008

As an avid fan of the X-Files television show I wanted to believe in this movie.  Since learning that the studio would be bringing Mulder and Scully back to the big screen I have been counting down the months, the days, and then the hours until the film’s release.  This is no doubt a must-see for any X-Files fan, but perhaps only the die-hard fans will truly appreciate the film.

Normally I receive early screening passes for review purposes, but the “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” movie was shrouded in complete marketing mystery, and now – I can see why.  The following is a list of my likes and dislikes:

Liked:

- Gillian Anderson & David Duchovny’s chemistry on screen
- The film’s dark, mysterious tone
- The character development (Mulder and Scully)
- Charming dialogue from time to time
- Editing was quick and sharp, it felt like an episode of CSI – it worked!
- The ending

Disliked:

- The constant reminder we were watching an X-Files movie because of the constant use of the 6 toned  music cues.
- Blatant attempts at pulling the audience away from the more serious points in the movie through the use of silly sight gags.
- Lack of coherent story. At times it seemed quite obvious where deleted scenes may have originally been.
- The supporting cast lacked any emotional impact (or acting skill)
- Mark Snow’s score (Mark has composed better music for the original show and for the television cult hit Smallville on a much smaller budget)

This is simply my opinion of the film, and it is my hope that you go and see the movie to explore your own thoughts and feelings about it.  Feel free to submit you review to us and we will post them here!

Each week I will be updating this page with my reviews!

Patrick Phillips
AWS Conductor.