Superman Returns

Rated: PG-13 (for some intense action violence)
Runtime: 154 minutes
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Written by: Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris
Starring: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Parker Posey, James Marsden, Frank Langella

Superman Returns has been in pre-production limbo for years. It’s gone through countless different scripts, a slew of unlikely candidates for the role of the Man of Steel, and several directors including McG (Charlie’s Angels, one of the worst movies ever), Tim Burton and Brett Ratner. The dice finally landed on Bryan Singer to direct. Ironically enough, Ratner ended up directing X3, to which Singer was initially attached (since he directed the first two X-Men). So finally we have a new Superman movie. Was it worth the wait?

Superman/Clark Kent (Brandon Routh) has been long gone, in search of his home planet Krypton, of which he only finds pieces as it has been completely annihilated. He returns to Earth, and his position at the Daily Planet, only to find the love of his life, Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth), engaged to Richard White (James Marsden). During our hero’s absence, Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has been released from jail and is ready to continue his plight of general havoc-wreaking and world domination. Needless to say, Superman has to save the day.

Singer does a pretty good job directing, and seeing Superman Returns more than anything made me wish he had made X3, which as it stands is pretty awful. His camerawork and scene construction are genuinely apt, and he’s really good at character drama. He’s strayed from the dark, dramatic bravado he flaunted in his masterpiece, The Usual Suspects, this time creating a creating a vivid, albeit restrained film.

The acting is decent. Spacey steals the show as Luthor, having jubilant, guilty fun. I wish they did more with him, though. Bosworth is apt as Lois, projecting an appropriately careless, headstrong demeanor, at times channeling Teri Hatcher from the Lois & Clark TV series. Marsden is good with what he’s given, but I feel bad for the guy. It’s like he’s doomed to play the other boyfriend of the hero’s love interest. After X-Men, The Notebook and now this, it’s apparent he’s always right there, but never quite the right choice, despite always playing a good guy. Parker Posey is annoying as can be as Luthor’s improbable and useless tagalong girl. The real pressure is on Routh, who takes on the Man of Steel. He somewhat resembles a young, chiseled Christopher Reeve, and finds a middle ground between Reeve and Dean Cain (also from the TV series). He’s a pretty good Clark Kent, but I sometimes had trouble with him as Superman. What was supposed to be heroic charisma occasionally came across as stoic and flat. But he works well enough. His advantage is that no one recognizes him, so they don’t remember him as that guy from whatever.

The script works as far as dialogue. But the story is lacking. Luthor’s plot is haphazard and far from grandiose, robbing the film of an epic struggle. The ending is severely anticlimactic, and a significant twist element is introduced that is left all too underdeveloped. Aside from the action pieces, scenes connect in a somewhat disjointed fashion, and end abruptly.

The visual presentation of Superman Returns is impressive. Singer’s intentions are realized and there is a lot to marvel – of particular note are the plane crash scene and the bit where Superman stops a bullet with his eye. But the action pieces felt few and far between, and often left me wanting more – a step down from Singer’s staged mayhem in X2. The effects are constant (www.imdb.com claims 1,400 FX shots) and the film is almost too-heavily reliant on CGI to convey visuals. However, I have to admit that at over two and a half hours, there’s enough crammed in that the flick doesn’t bore.

I got the chance to see Superman in IMAX 3D, thanks to my lovely wife who gets major cool points for trekking me to said venue for my birthday. I have to admit that this effect significantly heightened the film for me. Granted, only about 20 minutes total worth of scenes were in 3D, but IMAX is so big and loud that it’s like Superman was kicking my butt. Plus he flew at me, which was… well, it rocked.

Overall, I did like Superman Returns. It’s better than a lot of comic adaptations (excluding Sin City, X2, Spider Man 2 and Batman Begins), and aside from failing to reach its potential, does near something of a larger-than-life, operatic hero-tale. Superman is so iconic that you practically have to see this film. I’d be lying if I said my expectations were met, but they were REALLY high. Not as good as Pirates 2, but a worthwhile summer addition.

My Rating: B

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Rated: PG-13 (for intense sequences of adventure violence, including frightening images)
Runtime: 150 minutes
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Written by: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy

This summer has been an utter disappointment thus far at the theater. Blockbusters have failed to bust anything save for the hope of getting my money’s worth (or at the very least a fair trade for two hours of my life). Now comes yet another sequel. So how does Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest hold up to the first? All I can say is thank God for Gore Verbinski and his team – cinematically, summer has FINALLY begun.

The first Pirates flick, The Curse of the Black Pearl, was a dark horse that surprised everyone. There’s no reason a movie based on a Disney theme park ride should’ve been that good or entertaining. It also carried the added weight of being a genuine breakout role for Johnny Depp, who has always been a charismatic and powerful screen presence, but couldn’t seem to find a hit. Deservingly earning him an Oscar nomination, Captain Jack Sparrow is easily his most inspired and enthusiastic performance.

Disney’s logo was mysteriously “absent” from the opening credits of Pearl – their first PG-13 rated movie, the violence in which forced a shying away from association. Then the thing made a ton of money and people actually liked it. Jump to Pirates 2, which opens with an overly colorful, revamped Magic Kingdom logo. I guess everyone needs a paycheck. But this installment is much darker, frightening and more violent than the former, with cannibals, bloody wounds, exposed hearts and brains, and crows hungry to eat eyeballs from prisoner’s sockets. Careful with the kiddies.

The story begins with Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) and William’s (Orlando Bloom) wedding day interrupted as they find themselves arrested for aiding Jack’s escaping custody, where the last film left off. William is told he can save his and his bride-to-be’s necks from the gallows if he retrieves a certain item from Jack. Jack however, is preoccupied with a significant dilemma – he owes his soul to Davy Jones, a ruthless sea phantom who roams the waters aboard the Flying Dutchman, which is pirated by the monstrous, sea-transformed souls of those in his debt. Jack agrees to help Will if Will helps Jack. And so begins a lot of adventure stuff I don’t want to ruin.

The story is blazingly fun, albeit a tad schizophrenic. A lot of material is crammed into the two-and-a-half hour runtime, but surprisingly it never gets boring. Enough attention is paid to what needs development and somehow the flick balances itself. The dialogue is shotgun-quick, laced with razor sharp comedy.

Gore Verbinski continues directing his sea-faring epic trilogy and does a bang-up job, crafting a visually stunning action film with smart and often breathtaking cinematography. I really liked the dramatic balance of the picture as a whole. The opening of the film swells up like a dark period piece nearing operatic status. The action scenes, while creative and visceral, are so outlandish and over-the-top they almost feel like a theme park ride (I wonder why?). And the comedy connects on a higher level, and is much more prevalent this time out. Stringing these elements together are dramatic bits that frame the movie as something of genuine epic proportions, a larger than life tale that not only resurrects the near-dead adventure genre, but elevates it to a higher standard. There just simply isn’t anything here that doesn’t work.

Depp clearly has the time of his life playing Jack, and has somehow stumbled into the defining role of his career – he gives twice the performance this time and could again be on his way to an Oscar nod. Despite being unavoidably upstaged by Depp, Knightley and Bloom are given much more to do this time out, and readily meet the challenge to shine in the spotlight. Bill Nighy (the only worthwhile element in the critically over-praised Love Actually) is perfectly cast as Davy Jones, elevating the tentacle-wagging baddie to a tragically honest, Phantom of the Opera-like villain of classical Shakespearean proportions. The rest of the cast is effective, with nearly everyone from the first flick returning.

Everything else is equally on-track. The score is vibrant, and resounds with a dramatic flair that only heightens the visuals. The effects impress, and despite frequent CGI and frenetically staged chaos, never really feel excessive or ill-motivated. The narrative successfully sustains the lengthy runtime, with a smart cliffhanger ending that’s delightfully frustrating enough to be on par with Kill Bill vol. 1 and far superior to The Matrix Reloaded.

I should probably stop praising this movie so much, but it’s hard not to. The reviews I’ve read have been predominantly negative, claiming this is simply more of the first movie, but less intelligent, and that the first one was merely a “happy accident.” I couldn’t disagree more. Not only is Dead Man’s Chest the first and ONLY good movie so far this summer, it’s better than Curse of the Black Pearl. My only complaint is having to wait a year for number three, which won’t have to strive hard to finalize my following statement: cinematically, the Pirates series is shaping up to be the criterion of what adventure films should be.

My Rating: A

Click

Rated: PG-13 (for language, crude and sex-related humor, and some drug references)
Runtime: 98 minutes
Directed by: Frank Coraci
Written by: Steve Koren, Mark O’Keefe
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, Christopher Walken, David Hasselhoff, Henry Winkler, Sean Astin

Adam Sandler’s latest comedic endeavor isn’t exactly what you might expect from the previews. Michael Newman (Sandler) is an architect who can’t quite get the blueprint for his life mapped out to perfection. He’s got a beautiful wife, Donna (Kate Beckinsale), two kids who think the world of him, and he’s teetering on the brink of making partner at his firm, run by the libidinous, schmoozing Ammer (David Hasselhoff). All this would be great if he had time to manage said elements. Work consumes the bulk of his free time, and his family grows increasingly frustrated. When he has to cancel their camping trip in order to take on a project, stuff hits the fan.

Angered by the multitude of remotes on his living room table, none of which cooperate with his desire to turn on the TV, he runs out to purchase a universal remote control. Opting to ignore Best Buy, and wisely avoiding Staples, he heads into Bed, Bath and Beyond. Eventually finding himself in the “Beyond” area, Michael wanders into a room where he meets Morty, a not-all-together scientist played with delightful jubilance by Christopher Walken (who is reason enough to sit through most any movie in my book). Hearing that Michael wants a universal remote that will make his life easier, Morty produces a magical device that unbeknownst to Michael, controls everything in his life as if it were a DVD – primarily he can rewind, pause and fast-forward any moment. Of course the remote begins to automatically decide what he gets to live and what he gets to miss, and an important life lesson is learned, or something.

Click has it’s funny moments, but most of them stem from insanely juvenile levels of humor (i.e. Michael pausing time so he can fart in his boss’s face or kick someone in the crotch, fast-forwarded shadows of Michael and his wife having sex only to have the dog jump on Michael’s back to join in the fun, slowing things down to see a female jogger’s surgically enhanced mammaries bounce like an audition for Baywatch, etc.). Not that I’m complaining, mind you. It’s all good and funny, but the latter 2/3 of the flick spirals into a surprisingly somber morality drama as it weighs the consequences of Michael’s actions. There are a few heartbreaking moments towards the end, particularly scenes between Michael and his father that echo reality (Sandler lost his father a few years back). When juxtaposed with the tongue-in-cheek sophomoric antics, the drama loses some of its punch, and as a whole the movie winds up feeling very awkward.

Sandler is effective in his performance, more restrained than the likes of Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore (which the actor surely must realize is the pinnacle of his comedic career, as his production company is called Happy Madison, and even in Click the brat neighbor kid’s last name is O’Doyle – a reaching, yet appropriate shout-out to fans). Beckinsale does what she can, but isn’t given much to work with in her extremely underdeveloped role. Walken is fun as always. And Hasselhoff was more than a guilty pleasure. I’d love to see the guy do more comedy (his cameo in Dodgeball was classic). Sean Astin’s bit was a coin toss, but it’s nice to see the guy stick around after Lord of the Rings.

Frank Coraci returns to direct Sandler again (he helmed The Wedding Singer and The Waterboy). Despite a few flashy camera movements and dramatic angles, the movie is extremely straightforward and sometimes just goes through the motions. Still, it works for what it is. Script-wise Click is at or slightly above par for this type of comedy.

As a summer flick, Click is worthwhile, if not blaringly formulaic – not nearly as good as Sandler’s early work (Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The Wedding Singer), but better than his other endeavors (save for 50 First Dates which was good, and Punch Drunk Love, which is hands-down the best thing he’s done, thanks to cinema wunderkind P.T. Anderson). Considering every movie I’ve seen this summer has been disappointing, this one’s actually likeable enough to merit a watch.

My Rating: B

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang – DVD review

Rated: R (for language, violence and sexuality/nudity)
Runtime: 103 minutes
Written and Directed by: Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan

Every once in awhile there comes a film that stands out in the overpopulated crowd of Hollywood’s cinematic regurgitations (Fight Club, Magnolia and Memento being a few among the elite that come to mind). I tend to dig most of said schlock, but it’s frustrating that the majority of flicks nowadays seem less than special. But I’m reminded why all those movies exist – so that Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang can put them all to shame.

Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey, Jr.) is a petty New York thief who, after seeing his partner shot during a botched robbery, stumbles unknowingly into a movie audition when running from the cops. Next thing he knows, he’s whisked to L.A. where in preparation for his role, he starts shadowing an enigmatically ferocious private detective (Val Kilmer) known as Gay Perry (due to his preferred company’s gender). When Harry runs into his dream girl Harmony (Michelle Monaghan), and tells her he’s a detective so he can help her solve her sister’s murder, the unlikely trio are hurled into a seedy, whimsical noir fairytale that channeled unforeseen levels of euphoria in this critic as it unfolded.

The genuine originality (and charisma) of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang doesn’t lie in its story (however well-woven a web), but in its delivery. Harry narrates the entire movie like that drunk friend at the party who has yet to be officially diagnosed with A.D.D., constantly jumping around and pausing the movie as he blurts that he forgot about something important, then branches off onto another tangent before returning to the topic at hand. And the entire visual tone of the picture is boldly energetic, aiding the narration in creating a uniquely self-reflexive storytelling technique.

Downey, Jr. is at the top of his game. Sure the guy’s had a haphazard career, but he’s hands down one of the best actors out there when he’s given the spotlight. He’s the only person who could’ve played the role of Harry right. Kilmer is simultaneously an utter delight to watch, and gives one of his best performances (ignoring his penultimate role as Doc Holliday in Tombstone). He and Downey, Jr. have a surprising chemistry that fuels this rollercoaster ride. Monaghan is very effective, and gives a sultry, sympathetic and utterly sexy performance, staking her claim as someone to watch in years to come.

Shane Black, who wrote Lethal Weapon and The Long Kiss Goodnight (a guilty pleasure of mine), has penned a superb script, packed with infectious dialogue, vibrant characters, and indisputable hilarity, all wrapped within a blissfully charismatic story structure. This marks his directorial debut, and his sophomore effort can’t come soon enough. He’s crafted the best noir, the best dark comedy, and just about the best detective film in years (not to mention one of the best films of 2005, period).

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang has got cult status written all over it. It was generally overlooked in theaters, and the ads do it zero justice. But it’s packed with more winks and nudges to its inevitable fan-boys than a Kevin Smith movie. Now that it’s on DVD, its popularity can truly flourish as it finds its rightful home on the shelves of anyone with cinematic taste.

The DVD isn’t loaded by any means. There’s the trailer, a fairly humorous gag reel, and an unabashedly fun commentary with Downey, Jr., Kilmer and Black. The disc’s crown jewel is the film itself.

I’ve been singing praises out of my rear for this flick thus far, but it’s hard not to. This is a cinematic experience that deserves to be exalted; a profoundly sly, mischievously witty, and devastatingly sexy masterpiece that heralds a forgotten level of magnificence. Do yourself a favor and find out what you’re missing – see this now.

My Rating: A