Firstly, a few reviews of the films I saw in July. I imagone that if
you'd been to the cinema at all in July, that you'd have seen one of
these three. I'd love to know what you thought of them, or anything
else you might have seen.
Secondly, a little look at some of the films out this month, using MSN's August roundup as a starting point.
Hancock - July 2nd
I enjoyed this oddly original superhero tale, as much as 4/5 stars, and then I read some reviews and changed my mind.
I realised that although it was funny in places and the SFX were cool, it did seem to change genre completely
as it drew to an end. I can see this becoming Will Smith's 'go to' role if he's having trouble, like Men In
Black was. A good cast let down by a simple plot with a twist you can see almost before the movie starts.
Fun enough, but I can't help but wonder if its Wednesday release was just to capitalise on the Orange Wednesday receipts.
3.5/5
WALL·E - JULY 18th
Pixar does it again! The story of the last refuse-collection robot on an abandoned Earth is funny and also
cute. Despite the fact that the most endearing characters are machines, WALL·E is a very human movie. It's
got all the classic themes of loneliness, love, adventure and man-on-a-mission, only its mostly robots doing
it all. There are human characters in WALL·E, but by the time they turn up, they ain't a patch on our little
square bin-bot. The story of why they left Earth (and why they left it in such a state) is well handled and
at times, clever satire, only slightly pushing a worthy message onto wide-eyed widdle kiddies.
Not that its just for them, but if your old enough to copy Hancock's drunkeness, go see The Dark Knight first.
4.5/5
The Dark Knight - July 24th
The newest Batman film is nothing short of incredible. The biggest story is Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker - a
breathtaking portrayal that's creepy, funny and completely enthralling. I found that the plot felt almost like a
secondary thing, but it was just as entertaining. It's twisty and twisted, with the actions of both the heroes and
villain(s) being, by turns, cruel, unusual and unnecessary. The acting of the rest of the cast was spot on, but special
mention should go to Maggie Gyllenhaal, who has made the role of Rachel Dawes (played by Katie Holmes in Batman Begins)
her own. It's been said since it'a release that The Dark Knight raises the bar for all superhero movies, but it raises
the bar for all movies. Having topped IMDb's Top 250 film's upon its US release in mid July, and barely getting anything
like a negative review, The Dark Knight is so good that it's unlikely to see any serious competition until The Watchmen
is released.
4.75/5
In three movies, that was July. I've not seen anything else (shame on me), but there wasn't a lot else to see. But its all
about August now, so what's coming up?
Well MSN believe that this lot are worth watching.
I agree with them about Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, Get Smart and The Wackness. I'd maybe see Babylon A.D. and You Don't Mess with the Zohan but I'm no X-Files fan and the others don't appeal. Sure, some may be worthy indies, but The Mummy sequel?, Star Wars Cash-in? No thanks.
So, they're about half right. But they completely missed these two gems.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (released
15th August), in which the title character is swept up in the world of
Delysia Lafosse a glamourous singer and actress (played by Amy Adams,
of Junebug, Enchanted) in London during World War Two
and Step Brothers
(released 29th August) 95 minute excuse for Will Ferrrell & John C.
Reilly to shout and fight each other. I still think there's some funny
in Ferrell, despite the downturn of Semi-Pro, so I'm looking forward to
this. It'll be the start of a big fortnight, what with The Wackness out the
same day and RockNRolla and Pineapple Express out as September kicks in.
