Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol

I saw MI4: Ghost Protocol yesterday w/ my family.  I was actually really pumped to watch this, but I have to say, theatres are now MILKING the time before the movie begins for all it’s worth.  I swear, they must have showed 30 minutes worth of commercials and trailers before the actual movie finally started.

Once the movie started though, it was actually good!  There were a few moments that were a bit cringe-worthy (by which I mean it was really cheesy), but I really enjoyed the characters and definitely the action sequences.  Even though Tom Cruise is kinda crazy, he gets props for doing all of his own stunts, I almost peed my pants in one of the scenes!

Definitely a lot of funny dialogue, gripping action and fighting, and some engaging backdrops were able to really overcome the few stupid moments in the movie.

Likes:

• Simon Pegg (effortlessly funny)
• amazing action
• cool gadgets
• some genuinely surprising twists
• unique and pretty backdrops
• a villain that isn't gimmicky
• a hot sidekick

Dislikes:

• Runtime of 133 minutes... started getting a bit long @ the end
• Cheesy attempts to give "life lessons"
• Some parts were a bit too ridiculous to be believable, even for me.

Final Grade: A-/B+ which means Go watch!

Bringing back the Fairy Tales

It seems like this is the year of fairy tale re-imaginings.  There's that TV show "Once Upon a Time" which is actually pretty good, the craptastic looking "Mirror, Mirror", and the movie "Snow White and the Huntsman" that caught my eye. 

Some initial thoughts on the 2 Snow White trailers:

"Mirror, Mirror"
- beginning music made me think it was going to be an Indian musical
- their choice for Snow White, while sticking close to the childhood description, did not make me want to go watch the movie.
- Julia Roberts has an accent worse than mine
- it is meant to be a action/ comedy... but the jokes seem to be mostly puns and lame pop culture references... no thanks
- the set and costumes seem blah.  nothing special and very stereotypical fairytale.
- I can see this appealing to people over 40.

"Snow White and the Huntsman"
- if you want to grab the viewer's attention, get some new, epic music.  this did it.
- queen's accent sounded tightttttt.  evil, but not over the top.  I would probably be scared if I met a person who talked like that in real life.
- film looks real and gritty from the opening scenery pan and battle.
- it's cool to see a movie that seems to put the focus on the character development of the queen instead of Snow White.
- Charlize Theron seems to be an awesome choice based on the trailer.
- graphics are so cool!
- Ugh.  Kristen Stewart.  A possible reason why this movie might fail.  Pretty face.  that's it.
- Thor's accent might be the only reason I give him a chance.  Haven't seen Thor, but doubtful about Chris Hemsworth's acting ability.
- Based on a cool villain, awesome looking setting and cool story concept (never heard of the story of the Huntsman before), I would definitely watch this.

Lookin' Good

These are some movies and tv shows that I'm really looking forward to.

The Pacific
Sundays @ 9pm

Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks' mini-series focusing on WWII's neglected Pacific campaign. On par with Band of Brothers, the series will focus on the lives of three marines as they enlist, fight, and try to cope with their experiences post-war. Judging from reviews online, critics are raving about the emotional pull and rawness of the series. Just a warning, there is a lot more gore in this series (along the lines of the severed limbs in the Saving Private Ryan opening scene). But if you're looking for a real glimpse of the harsh realities of war and the toll it takes on the participants, look no further.

Kick Ass
Out in theatres!

Synopsis taken from trailer.
Kick-Ass tells the story of average teenager Dave lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a comic-book fanboy who decides to take his obsession as inspiration to become a real-life superhero. As any good superhero would, he chooses a new name, Kick-Ass, assembles a suit and mask to wear, and gets to work fighting crime. Theres only one problem standing in his way: Kick-Ass has absolutely no superpowers.

Random Note: Dave Shin was walking on the streets in Austin when he walked by a row of black Escalades. It wasn't until he looked at the huge crowd snapping pictures did he realize that they were doing a premiere in our very own Austin!

Defendor
Out on DVD

Pretty similar to Kick Ass, it's the story of a guy (Woody Harrelson) who tries to make something of his life by becoming a superhero. He seeks revenge on "Captain Industry" who he believes killed his mother, and the movie follows his bumbling foray into the criminal underworld. From the previews, Defendor looks to be a dark comedy of a lovable loser who makes up for his lack of real skill with sheer determination and heart.