I have been to several movies lately, and have been remiss in reviewing them. I aim to make up for that now. Here are my quick hit thoughts on the movies in the title.
- Skyfall – This is an amazing movie, but not for the reasons you’d expect for a Bond movie. Sure, there’s action, exotic locales, babes and all the usual trappings. But it’s a very personal story for Bond and M, one that might just tug at your heartstrings a bit. Also, if you are one of those Bond purists who decried the Craig era Bond going away from some classic elements from the 60s and 70s movies, the end to this one should feel like wrapping up in a warm blanket. I won’t say more because *I* wasn’t spoiled about any of this, and you shouldn’t either. See this movie.
- Wreck-It Ralph – Shifting gears a bit, I took my kids to see this a week or so ago. It’s a wonderful movie, playing well with your classic video game friends and foes, and using the associated tropes to tell a good story. Try and catch all the references – I never had a Sega system of any kind, so some of the obscure characters from that side of things escaped me – but stay for the great characters. Ralph is a big lug who’s easy to root for, forced to live in the dump by the ‘good’ characters in his game. Vanellope is actually not as annoying as the trailers might make you think, and the love story angle with Fix-It Felix Jr. and Sgt. Calhoun is hilarious (but still rings true). Find some kids and take them.
- The Man with the Iron Fists – This was obviously made by someone (The RZA) who loves Quentin Tarantino’s movies, but learned all the wrong lessons from them. The action is obscured and hard to follow. The humor elements are out of place. The hero character is under-developed. Only Russell Crowe seems to be having any fun (and it’s almost worth it just to see him) but this is a ‘wait for SpikeTV’ type of film. Seriously, it’s going to be one of their favorites, I’m sure.
I hope that helps, and if you have any other questions, comment away!
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