August's Lamented Summer Movies
The summer is running out of steam and there are a few tasty morels left to bite for the big screen. You start to have the feeling, if you haven’t seen a big summer movie yet, that you’re missing something.
You could be. Then again, maybe not.
August feels like the storm is winding down and the audiences are still reeling from the Dark Knight film that is hitting the box office jam like thunder. It seems an unstoppable force. Bringing such an iconic hero down would take some doing.
There hasn’t been anything yet.
There have been two widely anticipated films coming to the post Dark Knight fever which could’ve spoiled the Gotham avenger’s vengeance. Neither of them got anywhere near the forceful hurricane that has taken the summer for the ride of a lifetime.
First one is “X-Files: I want to Believe” which came out in late July with a mild reception.
Not a bad film. Clearly not a great film either.
It’s sort of a luke-warm temperature that leaves you wanting for more. And this is the kind of film that could’ve achieved greatness. But it feels more like another episode of the X-Files series. That’s fairly unfortunate that the film turned out to be this way: just another missed opportunity.
Way it turned out, it could’ve worked better if it was a made-for-TV film. This might’ve created more tension and suspense regarding the smaller screen. Allowing for further exploring of old corridors and flitting shadows that seemed far more cloistered.
Audiences, myself included, expected far more booming experiences filled with explosions that is typical of a summer block-bluster film. These kinds of films should skyrocket into something of greatness as the script would cover a wider subject… feeling far more cosmic in its vision. Even the first X-Files film started off with a big bang that became a real hook for audience goers.
But this film, on the whole, feels like nothing happened. And that might’ve been the greatest problem. The episodic form of the film might’ve worked better in the TV format. And a success could’ve called for more TV films with Mulder and Scully chasing after further cases.
The chemistry between the main actors are still there. Like revisiting old friends again. You can see that David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson pair off so well even in their later years, knowing each other like an open book. They know each other’s switches. But most importantly, there’s still unique trust between them.
There are some very cool sequences especially the chase between Mulder and the suspected refugee who has been dealing with illegal transplants. The entire rushing towards the top of the building makes for tension-weilding camerawork. It’s nice to see that the story revolves mostly around Scully who has doubts about a pedophile priest’s visions… and mocking them without giving him a chance. There’s a great touch of the frankenstien creature’s eyes waking up in the middle of a primitive lab set. It still sends a few chills.
There are some strengths to the story which moves at an intellectual’s pace. Written by Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter, they gave what the fans wanted. Another episode of the X-Files. Not something on the big screen. It only made a world-wide $39,021,373 so far.
The next one fared little better at the box office. The franchise continues with the “Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” which I actually liked far better of the two.
Some bits doesn’t make sense. The dialogue seems like something you could write on toilet paper. And the unbelievability of it makes the entire thing crumble under scrutiny.
Yet I still liked this film. Why is this? Because it is some dumb fun.
I don’t go to the summer movies to have an intellectual pursuit with a story filled with questions and philosophy. I went to my college courses for that. I go read a book if I want to make my brain work. I’ve done that enough times.
No, I go to a movie like the Mummy knowing it’ll be stupid, ridiculous, and yet I find it a lot of fun. Which is more than I can say about the X-Files movie. The people who make the Mummy do not take themselves seriously. And you shouldn’t either.
It starts out with a lover’s spat between the characters created by Jet-Li and Michelle Yeoh who cross each other’s paths, a territorial king and a sorceress. It’s great to see both of them in the film as they are already in a life of retirement… seeing them, in whatever film, is always pleasing. And there is a nice fighting sequence between them during the end of the film.
Jet-Li makes a great villain and showcases his talent of becoming a brutal, insidious creature of disregard for human life… you can see it easily in his eyes. His mummy is a twisted stature of menace that can thwart, change shape to his own will.
Don’t take the story too serious. That’s the only way one can enjoy the film that harkens back to the 1940s with a surprisingly funny chase through the Shanghai streets with the old styled cars. I don’t agree with the casting of Evy and this could’ve been easily done by writing the character away from the story. Even a divorce wasn’t unheard of in those days and might’ve brought the father and son closer together because of this.
The young, pretty Chinese actress Isabella Leong brings a sweetness to the movie screen… and I think she could’ve taken Evy’s place if she had been written out of the script. She’s very energetic in her scenes.
There are some great football playing Yeti in here which brings out some laughs when they make a field-go by kicking some bad guy like he’s a human football.
I like all the Mummy movies for this reason. They’re fun, stupid fun, and it shouldn’t matter because summer is almost over. You might as well enjoy something when you can. There’s a great war piece at the end of the film with a skeleton army led by the General Ming screaming through the desert against the emperor’s evil Terracotta army which brings memory of the Ray Harryhausen stuff.
I liked this movie. Some of you may not care for it and that’s okay. I’m having fun. The Mummy movie has claimed only $99,957,770 so far since its release last week. The many summer releases will still be overshadowed by the Batman’s dark reign.
There’s one lesson here in the film: it doesn’t pay to be immortal.
You could be. Then again, maybe not.
August feels like the storm is winding down and the audiences are still reeling from the Dark Knight film that is hitting the box office jam like thunder. It seems an unstoppable force. Bringing such an iconic hero down would take some doing.
There hasn’t been anything yet.
There have been two widely anticipated films coming to the post Dark Knight fever which could’ve spoiled the Gotham avenger’s vengeance. Neither of them got anywhere near the forceful hurricane that has taken the summer for the ride of a lifetime.
First one is “X-Files: I want to Believe” which came out in late July with a mild reception.
Not a bad film. Clearly not a great film either.
It’s sort of a luke-warm temperature that leaves you wanting for more. And this is the kind of film that could’ve achieved greatness. But it feels more like another episode of the X-Files series. That’s fairly unfortunate that the film turned out to be this way: just another missed opportunity.
Way it turned out, it could’ve worked better if it was a made-for-TV film. This might’ve created more tension and suspense regarding the smaller screen. Allowing for further exploring of old corridors and flitting shadows that seemed far more cloistered.
Audiences, myself included, expected far more booming experiences filled with explosions that is typical of a summer block-bluster film. These kinds of films should skyrocket into something of greatness as the script would cover a wider subject… feeling far more cosmic in its vision. Even the first X-Files film started off with a big bang that became a real hook for audience goers.
But this film, on the whole, feels like nothing happened. And that might’ve been the greatest problem. The episodic form of the film might’ve worked better in the TV format. And a success could’ve called for more TV films with Mulder and Scully chasing after further cases.
The chemistry between the main actors are still there. Like revisiting old friends again. You can see that David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson pair off so well even in their later years, knowing each other like an open book. They know each other’s switches. But most importantly, there’s still unique trust between them.
There are some very cool sequences especially the chase between Mulder and the suspected refugee who has been dealing with illegal transplants. The entire rushing towards the top of the building makes for tension-weilding camerawork. It’s nice to see that the story revolves mostly around Scully who has doubts about a pedophile priest’s visions… and mocking them without giving him a chance. There’s a great touch of the frankenstien creature’s eyes waking up in the middle of a primitive lab set. It still sends a few chills.
There are some strengths to the story which moves at an intellectual’s pace. Written by Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter, they gave what the fans wanted. Another episode of the X-Files. Not something on the big screen. It only made a world-wide $39,021,373 so far.
The next one fared little better at the box office. The franchise continues with the “Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” which I actually liked far better of the two.
Some bits doesn’t make sense. The dialogue seems like something you could write on toilet paper. And the unbelievability of it makes the entire thing crumble under scrutiny.
Yet I still liked this film. Why is this? Because it is some dumb fun.
I don’t go to the summer movies to have an intellectual pursuit with a story filled with questions and philosophy. I went to my college courses for that. I go read a book if I want to make my brain work. I’ve done that enough times.
No, I go to a movie like the Mummy knowing it’ll be stupid, ridiculous, and yet I find it a lot of fun. Which is more than I can say about the X-Files movie. The people who make the Mummy do not take themselves seriously. And you shouldn’t either.
It starts out with a lover’s spat between the characters created by Jet-Li and Michelle Yeoh who cross each other’s paths, a territorial king and a sorceress. It’s great to see both of them in the film as they are already in a life of retirement… seeing them, in whatever film, is always pleasing. And there is a nice fighting sequence between them during the end of the film.
Jet-Li makes a great villain and showcases his talent of becoming a brutal, insidious creature of disregard for human life… you can see it easily in his eyes. His mummy is a twisted stature of menace that can thwart, change shape to his own will.
Don’t take the story too serious. That’s the only way one can enjoy the film that harkens back to the 1940s with a surprisingly funny chase through the Shanghai streets with the old styled cars. I don’t agree with the casting of Evy and this could’ve been easily done by writing the character away from the story. Even a divorce wasn’t unheard of in those days and might’ve brought the father and son closer together because of this.
The young, pretty Chinese actress Isabella Leong brings a sweetness to the movie screen… and I think she could’ve taken Evy’s place if she had been written out of the script. She’s very energetic in her scenes.
There are some great football playing Yeti in here which brings out some laughs when they make a field-go by kicking some bad guy like he’s a human football.
I like all the Mummy movies for this reason. They’re fun, stupid fun, and it shouldn’t matter because summer is almost over. You might as well enjoy something when you can. There’s a great war piece at the end of the film with a skeleton army led by the General Ming screaming through the desert against the emperor’s evil Terracotta army which brings memory of the Ray Harryhausen stuff.
I liked this movie. Some of you may not care for it and that’s okay. I’m having fun. The Mummy movie has claimed only $99,957,770 so far since its release last week. The many summer releases will still be overshadowed by the Batman’s dark reign.
There’s one lesson here in the film: it doesn’t pay to be immortal.
posted by K.M. Paters at 11:51 AM
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