Nuke's Blog
Periodic ramblings by an old geek…

It was a slow week for movies.  Guess every once in a while I need to take a break, and even with so few, at least one of them turned out to be very entertaining.

 

Wanted (2008)

Rating:  

Another movie where having few expectations going in results in a very entertaining experience.  This movie reminded me a bit of Neil Gaiman’s book, Anansi Boys(which is very good, by the way).  In that book, the protagonist finds out he’s the son of a god and hence has some fairly special powers.  In this movie, the protagonist finds out he’s the son of an expert assassin… and finds out his father and he have some fairly special powers as well.  The action is very intense and the story is well done.  I don’t want to spoil anything, so just go watch it.

 

Django (1966)

Rating:  

I added this to my queue after seeing Sukiyaki Western Django last week.  Stick with the new movie… adding samurai to the story makes it far superior (who would have known ;).  If you don’t like samurai, and prefer non-tainted spaghetti westerns, stick to Sergio Leone’s Man with No Name trilogy (you know, the ones with Clint Eastwood).  This apparently started them all, and I have to admit it was entertaining, but the movie just wasn’t good enough to grab more stars.

 

Step Brothers (2008)

Rating:  

Apparently I succumbed once again to that magical force that makes you gawk at the car wreck you pass along the road.  I would normally rate a movie like this with a single star, but there were too many times I laughed almost until I cried.  Imagine two 12-year-old boys suddenly having to live together (and share a room) because their single/divorced parents married each other.  Got that in your head?  Now, imagine those two were actually 40-year-old men with the maturity of 12-year-old boys, but with the knowledge of 40-year-olds.  There is no end to the potty language or ridiculous actions.  Why can’t Will Ferrell go back to great movies like Stranger Than Fiction?

 

Meet Dave (2008)

Rating:  

Fun concept, but done much better back in Innerspace.  I’m still patiently awaiting a very entertaining Eddie Murphy movie.  I wonder what would happen if he finally played a semi-serious role.  It’s too bad actors/actresses end up so easily typecast, because I think he has it in him.  This was obviously meant to be a kids movie, but it still has enough mature tones in it that mine will have to wait to see it.

 

Stargate Atlantis: Season 4 (2007)

Rating:  

I still don’t like this show as much as I did the original Stargate series (even though it tanked in the last couple years).  However, I do enjoy watching each season as they are released.  This was an exception to the rule that adding characters usually brings the show down.  Amanda Tapping, who was always great in the original Stargate series, takes over as leader of Atlantis.  Jewel Staite from Firefly/Serenity fame is a great addition as the new doctor.  I don’t think Amanda works out that well in her role, but Jewel is a lot of fun and it’s good to hear she has a regular role in Season 5.

Share on Facebook