At the Movies

So Wheezley and I have actually been to the movies a couple of times already this summer. Here’s what we’ve seen so far:

X-Men Origins: Wolverine: Just average. The story was okay, but I don’t know, it just didn’t have the spark that some of the other X-Men movies have had. That being said, there was a lot of man candy to look at (I had no idea Ryan Reynolds was so buff!), and I did like the fight scene with Wolverine and Gambit (Taylor Kitsch from Friday Night Lights).

But I didn’t really care about the love interest or the whole Sabretooth-brother plot. And, as Wheezley pointed out, there were a few too many scenes of Hugh Jackman screaming at the heavens. And the CGI at the end wasn’t that great. (Was that really Patrick Stewart?) Overall, just meh.

Star Trek: It totally rocked. I’ve never seen a single episode of the TV series or any of the movies, so I’m not really a Trekkie at all. But I thought the movie was excellent. It was a really well-done origin story that had a lot of things in there for the fans and non-fans alike (I loved Bones chasing Kirk around the ship and giving him shot after shot).

The time-travel storyline made my head hurt a little, but then again, it always does. It was nice seeing Zachary Quinto in a non-Sylar role, and Chris Pine did an excellent job as Kirk. Overall, it was everything a summer movie should be — smart and fun with some cool effects.

Terminator Salvation: It sucked. I didn’t have high hopes for it, but it was just not good. I think one of the main problems was just the lack of any kind of humor or lightness whatsoever. That’s what made T2 and T3 so entertaining. Yeah, the world was ending, but Arnold still had some funny lines along the way. T4 was just … depressing. And again, the time travel stuff made my head hurt.

And how many people have to die before folks realize that maybe getting into a car/plane/helicopter/whatever with Christian Bale will lead to their untimely demise? Just a thought. Everybody who got in any kind of moving vehicle with him ended up getting shot down or eaten by killer water robots.

So there you have it. My take of the summer movies so far. What about you guys? What movies have you enjoyed this summer? Share in the comments.

So Wheezley and I went to the movies last weekend and watched Taken.

If you haven’t seen the previews, Taken stars Liam Neeson as a former government agent (think an older version of Jason Bourne). When his daughter is kidnapped in Paris, Liam goes over there to rescue her. Car chases, explosions, and general mayhem ensue. 

Wheezley and I were both in the mood for an action movie, and Taken certainly delivered. There were plenty of fistfights and bloody deaths, and Neeson was convincing enough as a retired bad-ass. (Although there was one scene when he’s running down the streets of Paris where I thought he might just stop and have a heart attack. Car, Liam. Hotwire a car!) 

Maggie Grace (of Lost fame) played the daughter, and Famke Janssen had the thankless role of playing the bitchy ex-wife. There wasn’t really one overall villain, which I thought hurt the movie a bit, but Neeson dispatches lots of generic bad guys in some interesting ways.

If you’re in the mood for an action movie, you might watch Taken. It’s not something I’d watch again, but it was an entertaining enough way to spend a couple of hours. Thumbs up.

What about you guys? Anyone seen anything good lately? Share in the comments.

This James Bond tidbit is courtesy my friend Super Librarian Amy:

Alicia Keys and Jack White will sing the theme song for the upcoming Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. The song will be called Another Way to Die. There’s a little more info here on CNN.

Thanks for the heads-up, Amy! 😎

This is an interesting musical pairing, and I’m curious as to what the song will sound like — and if it will actually have the words quantum of solace in it. I’m guessing no. Hard to rhyme something with solace.

Of course, the best Bond theme song is the James Bond Theme. A close second is Nobody Does It Better by Carly Simon. I also like Diamonds Are Forever by Shirley Baasey, For Your Eyes Only by Sheena Easton, and The World Is Not Enough by Garbage. Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is cool too, although technically it’s not a theme song (it’s from the movie Thunderball).

After that, well, some of the songs get downright ridiculous, like the aforementioned Thunderball. I have no idea what that song is supposed to be about, but Tom Jones does an impressive job holding the last note for what seems like forever. 

What about you? What’s your favorite Bond song or movie? Share in the comments.