Friday, 4/2/10

Clash of the Titans - 2 1/2 stars

First off, don't go see this in 3-D. Don't pay the extra money. See it in 2-D. The only reason it's in 3-D is the figured they could make more money, and people would be more excited to see it, if it was in 3-D. The problem is it was not filmed for 3-D. So the 3-D looks kind of lame, and it's not worth the extra bucks.

The movie wasn't horrible, but Sam Worthington is not charismatic enough to carry a movie. This is the 3rd movie I've seen him in, and he disappoints every time. He bores me. He isn't as bad as Paul Walker, but he's close. I never really cared about the characters. I got sick of Perseus complaining all the time. He gets these really cool gifts from the gods, but he angrily says "I'm not using them. I'm going to do this as a man, not as a god." Meanwhile guys around him are being killed. Dude, stop your bitching and use the nifty magic sword that Zeus gave you.

The action is pretty cool. The giant scorpion battle was fun. But I wasn't afraid of the Kraken. They didn't do a good job of making it seem like a real threat. Watching it destroy the city, all I could think about was the special effects that went into creating it.

And here is something that bugged me: Medusa's lair is in the underworld? That doesn't make sense. Usually the only people in the underworld are dead people. It's unusual for living people to pay the boatman to ferry them across the river Styx. So all the people Medusa turned to statues ... are they all dead people? It would make more sense if Medusa's lair was in the world of the living. I don't know if it's this way in Greek mythology or if it's the way the wrote the script, but that bugged me.

The Last Song - 1 1/2 stars

Miley Cyrus can't act. Every time she is on screen, she is posing. I imagine as the director is preparing to call action, she gets her Zoolander face ready.

I don't mind Nicholas Sparks movies. The Notebook was a good story, and so was Dear John, which just came out a few months ago. But this one was really lame. Miley's character was so obnoxious. As she is dating this guy, every 15 minutes she finds another excuse to be mad at him. She pushes him away and says "you should be with somebody who is more like this or that", then a minute later she caves in and they are kissing again.

By the halfway point, I did start to care about the characters. And when the inevitable Nicholas Sparks death scene comes, it was sad. So bring your hankies.

Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too - they never screen Tyler Perry movies in Salt Lake. So I have never seen one. Isn't he that admiral from Star Trek?

Movies at the Tower and Broadway

A Prophet - didn't see, but I hear it's great. Anne Thompson from Indiwire told me at Sundance that it was her favorite movie of the festival (at that point). It was nominated for best foreign language film at the Oscars.

The Host - 2 1/2 stars

The latest thriller from the Korean director who gave us The Host. A mentally challenged guy is accused of murdering a girl, put in prison, and his crazy mom investigates. It started out interesting but got boring as it went along. But it does have the best pre-title credit sequence ever!

Neil Young Trunk Show - didn't see, don't know anything about it.