Robert Dicus » Movies

Get Smart the Movie

Robert — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:17:51 +0000

Well, I stopped by the RedBox yesterday and picked up Get Smart. I really like Steve Carell so I wasn’t too worried about liking the movie (even though he’s made some movies that weren’t that great…). After watching the first 20-30 minutes, I was a bit worried. Now, I’ve seen quite a few episodes of the historical Get Smart syndicated show on television so I was expecting it to be a bit more like that than it was.

As the show wore on, there were some funny bits and pieces to make the show overall worth watching. But, I wouldn’t recommend someone to specifically go out on a search and acquire mission just to watch this movie… even if you like Steve Carell. Yes, you will get a few laughs out of it, but overall, you will be wishing for a better movie after you have invested 110 minutes into this semi-watchable flick.

Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

Robert — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:15:06 +0000

I’ve been a HUGE Indiana Jones fan ever since the very first time I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark. However, the latest installment was a HUGE disappointment for me. The previous episodes dealt with history and artifacts that were based upon legend or myth or religious history. Crystal Skull revolves around a plotline involving aliens…

Yes, Roswell to be exact. Making this movie was a blatant money grab and it worked quite well. The 4th Indiana film raked in nearly $800 million worldwide while costing about $185 million to make. Throw in all of the ancillary profits and no matter what, this movie is a certified financial success.

However, financial success does not equal quality movie. The movie achieved a flat B rating on BoxOfficeMojo.com and IMDB.com users rated it at a 6.8. Both ratings are well within decent movie ratings, but Indiana Jones is not a decent franchise, it’s a blockbuster franchise. Given that there were 20 years between series releases, the movie should have been nothing less than greatness.

Computer generated ants and gophers along with horrible graphic car chase sequences dooms the quality of the effects in this movie. With the advances of technology in cinematic animation, these issues are laughable and the movie crew should feel disgraced. But hey, $800 million cures a lot of ills… I wonder what the next Indiana Jones movie will consist of… ghost hunting?

War, Inc.

Robert — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:38:13 +0000

Not too often am I prompted to remove a movie I am watching from the DVD player before finishing it. I am a serious glutton for punishment at times and I will FORCE myself to finish a movie I have paid money to rent. War, Inc. has the honor of being removed by force from my DVD player as my eyes and ears could not withstand the physical and emotional torture I was being subjected to.

I’m all for political satire and sarcasm but wow, this movie completely missed the boat. Please, stay away from this movie if you enjoy the minutes on earth that you still have. Enjoy them doing something OTHER than EVER renting this movie. Save your money and time and heed my advice, you will not regret it.

Just to let you know, the movie made ONLY $1.3 million worldwide at the box office. How it scored a 6.2 rating on IMDB.com amazes me considering there are over 5,000 voters. Either the state of entertainment has reached the bottom of the barrel or there are some seriously neglected minds in this world watching movies.

G.I. Joe

Robert — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:24:53 +0000

Another movie from the 80’s cartoon days is coming out in a live action setting next year. G.I. Joe makes his first non-cartoon appearance next year. My childhood was all about G.I. Joe toys, comic books, and the cartoon show. I kept my action figures and vehicles in great shape over the years and I still have the comics stored away.

I’m looking forward to this movie and I hope they can pull it off in similar fashion to how the Transformers did. I think the special effects with G.I. Joe will be a bit “easier” when compared to that however.

The movie is set to show up in theaters on August 7, 2009. There is no video trailer as of yet, but here is a still shot of Snake Eyes:

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Robert — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:12:33 +0000

The X-Men series carries on after the X-Men Trilogy. Now, they are focusing on their origins of the X-Men and they are starting with Wolverine. What’s good is that they have the original actor from the X-Men series still involved with the latest installment. Hugh Jackman plays a great Wolverine.

X-Men 1 grossed almost $300 million worldwide, X-Men 2 almost $410 million, and X-Men 3 topped out at about $460 million. If the series continues the trend, Wolverine will make the series even more money. They will keep mining the series if that happens.

Check the teaser trailer out… The movie is set to come out May 1, 2009:

Terminator: Salvation

Robert — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:37:30 +0000

Once again, we are going to be treated to another movie in the Terminator franchise. I’ve been a Terminator fan since the day we rented it on VHS back in the mid 80’s. All of the Terminator films for me are exciting as I’ve always been interested in nuclear holocaust and the aftermath of such an event… call me crazy.

Anyway, the latest movie will apparently not have Arnold in it but the storyline and special effects I’m sure will more than makeup for any cameo the current governor of California would provide. Christian Bale is set to be the star of the show. He’s a hot commodity coming off his blockbuster status he has earned from his latest Batman film.

Here’s the current teaser trailer for Terminator: Salvation set for release on May 22, 2009…

Transformers 2

Robert — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:29:39 +0000

Transformers 2 – Revenge of the Fallen, is a sequel to the massive blockbuster hit Transformers. Set to hit theaters on June 26th, 2009… Just in time for the July 4th weekend!

I have always been a Transformers fan since they showed up in cartoon form on television during my childhood. The sequel has a lot to live up to considering the first installment grossed almost $710 million worldwide not counting dvd rental or sales.

When a trailer comes, I will definitely be posting it here!

The Strangers

Robert — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:00:02 +0000

I didn’t get to see this show at the cinema so I had to wait until the DVD release. I stopped by the local RedBox and picked the movie up. The movie itself was a fairly low budget production coming in with a cost of $9 million. However, worldwide gross for the movie was right at $75 million. That’s a pretty good tradeoff.

The movie was very suspenseful and if you like horror/suspense, you must give this a watch. However, I had one smallish issue with the movie itself… the tagline “inspired by true events.” Read my review rant at Syanptic Domination.