Tag Archives: Movie Reviews
Movies in Bed: Hercules
Post by Mark T. Locker.
Greek mythology. It’s always so much fun to read. About the only time I did my homework in middle school was when I was assigned Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. I was supposed to read all the bits about the Odyssey, but I went ahead and read the whole thing. It has been much to my delight that my son loves the myths of olde as well. Argus, the watcher with a bunch of eyes? Not creepy to him in the least! He is fascinated by Medusa. How could you not be? I really hope he decides to name his first dog Cerberus.
I don’t think he is ready yet for The Clash of the Titans, though I really can’t wait until he is. As a really mediocre compromise, I pulled up Disney’s Hercules on Netflix. My wife had beaten me to the classic
He wasn’t crazy about it. Frankly, I think the conflict was a bit stressful for him though after the fact he would assert that it was really boring. At least they got Danny DeVito to play Philoctetes, the short fat faun. Other than that, it’s not that memorable. I don’t think 1997 was a great year for Disney productions.
BUT, if your child is a fan of mythology, or you want him to become one, this is a nice and easy stepping-stone into the world of folklore and mythology.
Movies in Bed: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Post by Mark T. Locker.
I am not generally a fan of action, explosions, running and car chases in crowded foreign cities. My main exception to this has been USA Network’s “Burn Notice”. This show I classify as laundry-folding entertainment. But what do you do when faced with piles of laundry to fold and you’ve burned through all your Burn Notice? The answer: compromise.
I never saw the first two (ed. note: apparently there were three before this) Mission Impossible movies, nor did I ever feel very compelled to do so. Not surprisingly, there is no need for knowledge of the back story to understand what is happening in Ghost Protocol. Here’s what is happening in Ghost Protocol: explosions, running, and car chases in crowded foreign cities. It even comes with the requisite driving through some Arab vendor’s tent! Also: Simon Pegg as the witty element (which mostly falls flat) and physically impossible feats like not having your shoulder dislocate when falling from a considerable height and catching yourself at the last moment.
In short, this is perfect laundry-folding entertainment. So long as you are not too hung up on plausible plot points or well-crafted dialog, it’s worth the free price on some of the streaming channels.
Movies in Bed: Ponyo
Post by Mark T. Locker.
Today is Friday! All the visiting family have dissipated and the missus is going out so it’s going to be a nice, quiet father-son evening in the Locker household tonight. I’m looking forward to lounging on a large pile of couch cushions on the floor, maybe enjoying some homemade pizza, and watching Ponyo with the kiddo. Technically, this is a Disney film, but only technically. Ponyo is another offering from the only anime creator I love, Hayao Miyazaki, also known for Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and may others. Like all his movies, it’s a little bit magical, a little bit weird. Like many, it deals with the collision of the spiritual/natural world and that of humans.
Ponyo is a little fish girl who lives with her father and siblings deep in the ocean. Driven by a desire to explore, she finds herself trapped in a bottle by the shore. A little boy named Sōsuke discovers her and names her Ponyo. Little does he know this little fish is a magical girl. When her dad has Ponyo returned, she refuses to stay and goes back to Sōsuke, only in human form. There is so much more that happens and my meager summary would not do it justice. Just go watch it. Try not to get pizza crumbs on the couch cushions.
Movies in Bed: The Avengers
Post by Felix and Mark Locker.
Happy holiday weekend! In honor of big explosions and things overtly American, my son has brought you the following review for an explosion-riddled explosionfest, starring Captain America! Ladies and gentlemen, a brief and meandering recap of the Avengers, now showing on Netflix and Amazon Prime!
The Avengers are Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Captain America. (He totally forgot Captain America.)
The propellor got broken and Iron Man fixed it. I guess so!
Thor and Hulk got in a fight. And Thor took Loki. Loki is a bad guy. He puts people under his control.
Black Widow was with Hulk when Hulk was just a human.
My favorite Avenger is Iron Man because he has an iron suit. But my really favorite is Captain America because he can throw a shield and it comes back to his hand. The same thing with Thor, but with a hammer. (It’s remarkable that Captain America is his “favorite” (he totally isn’t) when he couldn’t even remember him earlier!)
That’s pretty much the movie in a nutshell! I like it because it’s written by Joss Whedon, who could make a phonebook sound funny and ironic.
Go watch it!
Movies in Bed: The Cabin in the Woods
Post by Mark T. Locker.
I know it’s summer and scary movies aren’t what people usually think about until the pumpkins grow. But, I watch movies so infrequently that I have to report on what I’ve seen. And I watched The Cabin in the Woods the other night. In bed. This is not your typical horror movie, but it builds on those archetypes found in all the typical horror movies. In classic Joss Whedon fashion, he plays on those stereotypes in an entertaining and self-conscious manner.
As in most slasher movies, five friends, each of whom fits nicely into a stereotype: jock; nerd; virtuous girl; not-so-virtuous girl; comic relief, head out to a creepy old cabin in the woods to party for the weekend.
What they don’t know is that they are entering a curated horror movie, in which all their moves are being watched and buttons are being pushed to gently nudge them to certain actions. When they stop for gas at the run-down gas station, the creepy old attendant warns them of the old cabin. Classic horror movie stuff. He is a hired part of the whole experiment, and is referred to as the “harbinger”.
It’s an interesting take on the classic slasher/zombie horror flick. It’s bloody, but also funny, and also a little scary. If you watch this one in bed, I hope your dreams are better than mine were!
