X Files: Fuzzy Face

Official Site: xfiles.com
Director: Chris Carter

Writer: Chris Carter, and Frank Spotnitz

Producer(s): Chris Carter, and Frank Spotnitz

Starring: David Duchovny as Fox Mulder, Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully, Amanda Peet as ASAC Dakota Whitney, Billy Connolly as Father Joseph Crissman, Xzibit as Mosley Drummy, and Callum Keith Rennie as Second Abductor(IMDb). PG-13, 105 min.

A series of gruesome murders have occurred, and the FBI has enlisted the help of a psychic priest to help recover the bodies of the victims, and to also possibly catch the killer(S). To increase the efficacy of the investigation, the FBI also sought help from an agent who has had experience with cases containing a paranormal dimension. And that agent is the retired and disgruntled Fox Mulder, who reluctantly agreed to help.

This sequel was fashioned it seems in the manner the television episodes were fashioned. The polemic of Mulder's inclination to the paranormal, and Skully's predilection for a practical and rational explanation seasoned with cynicism is showcased accordingly, and it does not derail from that traditional aspect of X Files. The story was good, and the plot was nicely developed, but this film lacked excitement for a summer film, and as a movie, it may have resembled an episode of the series too closely. In contrast, the first X Files movie was, in my opinion, more intriguing and far more exciting, and reminded me nothing of the series. However, the sequel while infused with an interesting subject matter, could of been more exciting. I will grade it a C. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.

Stepbrothers: Ice Ice Baby

Official Site: www.stepbrothers-movie.com
Director: Adam Mckay
Writer: Will Ferrel, and Adam Mckay
Producer: Judd Apatow, and Jimmy Miller

Starring: Will Ferrel as Brennan Huff, John C. Reilly as Dale Doback, Mary Steenburgen as Nancy Huff, and Richard Jenkins as Dr. Robert Doback(IMDb). Rated-R, 95min.

Robert Doback and Nancy Huff met at a conference, fell in love, married, and created an instant family which included two 39 year old adolescent men, Dale and Brennan. The two did not have a friendly relationship at first, and that created a disorderly household, but when they began relating on friendly a term, the disorder they created in the house did not subside. Being frustrated, their parents decided to take an active role in molding their teenage men into adults, and they arranged job interviews which led these teenage men to discover what their destiny in life was. Oh Boy!

This film was funny, but not incredibly funny. The sort of humor that we see in all of Will Ferrel's films is certainly not in short supply. Off beat and down right strange, Farrell along With Riley both have a way of acting that makes very simple jokes funny. Telling someone you are going to punch them in the face is not necessarily funny, but the way Ferrel delivers the line transforms it into something funny. Those two are great together in these silly films, where they can create laughter, but not hardcore laughter.

The story was not bad at all, and certain elements of the film culminate at the end of the movie quite nicely. It seems one of the morals of the story is, you can grow up but don't forget about the kid inside. In any event, this is a delightfully silly film that will please Will Ferrel fans who enjoy watching him work With John C. Riley, who was great as well. Certainly, this is not groundbreaking comedy, but it is above average, and it features perhaps the worst on screen kiss in the history of films, and that kiss was hilarious. According Metacritic.com this film received mixed reviews, and RottenTomatoes indicated a positive review with 58 fresh tomatoes and 52 rotten ones thus far. This film was entertaining. I will grade it a C+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.

Dark Knight: Hello Beautiful

Official Sight: DarkKnight
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
Producer: Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven, and Emma Thomas

Starring: Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Heath Ledger as The Joker, Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes, Gary Oldman as Lt.James Gordon(IMDb). Rated PG-13. 152 min.

This was such an amazing story, often the novelty of the film being based on a superhero almost did not matter, but incidentally the film was based on a superhero, and that made it something special. The acting was superb, and of course to talk about the acting without talking about Heath Ledger would be sinful. Ledger was official, no doubt about it. All the elements in this film constituted an action packed fast paced crime drama that grabbed your attention, and kept it. This film gets an A. Stay Tuned Movieporium.blogspot.com.

Journey To The Center Of The Earth: Vernian

Official Site: JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth
Director: Eric Brevig
Writer: Michael Weiss
Producer: Beau Flynn, Cary Granat, and Charlotte Huggins

Starring: Brendan Fraser as Trevor Anderson, Josh Hutcherson as Sean Anderson, and Anita Briem as Hannah Asgeirsson(IMDb). Rated PG, 92 min.

Trevor Anderson is a scientist who has been studying the works of his brother who has mysteriously gone missing, and one week when his nephew, Sean, came to visit, Anderson stumbled upon some notes his brother made in a copy of Journey To The Center Of The Earth. While at the lab, Anderson and Sean noticed seismic activity in areas that corresponded with certain areas also found in the notes. Their investigation led them to Iceland, where they met Hannah, a mountain guide, who took them to the location of the seismic activity, but a lightning storm prompted them to hide in a cave. When lightning struck the entrance of the cave, they were trapped, and they had to find another way out, and that is where the adventure began.

Surprisingly this film was very suspenseful. The characters were constantly in situations that left movie-goers on the edge of their seat. The anticipation of danger in every discovery was key in crafting the intense levels of suspense that made this film engaging. One scene that had me on edge was the magnetic rock scene.

The pace of the film was excellent, there did not seem to be a dull moment, and certainly that made for a fun film. From the visual value of the film, to the mysterious underpinnings of the hollow earth concept, this film delivered. It was adventurous, and fun, fun, fun. Metacritic.com indicated this film received mixed reviews. Rottentomatoes.com indicated the film received 69 fresh tomatoes to 43 rotten ones thus far. I thought it was great, B+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.

Hell Boy II: Cuban Cigars

Official Site: HellboyMovie.com
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Writer: Guillermo Del Toro
Producer: Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Mike Richardson, and Joe Roth.

Starring: Ron Perlman as Hellboy, Selma Blair as Liz Sherman, Doug Jones as Abe Sapien, Seth Macfarlane as the voice of Johann Krauss, James Dodd/John Alexander as Johann Krauss, Luke Goss as Prince Nuada, Anna Walton as Princess Nuala, and Jeffrey Tambor as Tom Manning (IMDb) Rated PG-13.

In this sequel Hellboy and his gang are back to fight Prince Nuada, an other worldly being who decided to violate the truce made between man and the creatures of the forest. Prince Nuada made his return to the world of man at an auction that was selling pieces of a crown from his world that would help him control the indestructible golden army enabling him to destroy human civilization, and the red dude with the big hand was mankind's only hope at stopping him.

Needless to say this film was visually impressive. The special effects, the make-up, and the production were amazing. Collectively, that aspect of the film was great, and Del Toro's fingerprints were clearly evident, at least to those who are familiar with Pan's Labyrinth. However one aspect of the film that I thought lacked potency was the dialogue. I thought the dialogue was somewhat dry, and simple, and perhaps it was written that way intentionally. The comedic value of the film was retained it seems without any decrease in potency from the first to the sequel. For the most part Hellboy 2 was fun to watch, and the film lived up to the advertisements. There was plenty of action, but the ending of the film was somewhat anticlimactic, although there was an act of commendable sacrifice from one of the supporting characters. According to Metacritic.com the film received generally good reviews. Rottentomatoes.com indicates the film received 115 fresh tomatoes to 16 rotten ones thus far. It was a great popcorn movie, I'll grade it a B. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.

Hancock: Frankenstein

Official Site: Hancock
Director: Peter Berg
Writer: Vincent Ngo, and Vince Gilligan
Producer: Akiva Goldsman, James Lassiter, Michael Mann, and Will Smith.

Starring: Will Smith as John Hancock, Charlize Theron as Mary Embrey, Jason Bateman as Rey Embrey, and Jae Head as Aaron Embrey(IMDb). Rated PG-13.

What I expected Hancock to be was a funny superhero movie involving a beatnik character who lacked the grace of traditional superheroes, and we see this absence of finesse in the way Hancock captures the evildoers, and even in his somewhat crash landings. And to some extent Hancock was a exactly that. Hancock does not know who he is or where he comes from; he can only recall waking up in a Miami hospital, and when the nurse in the hospital asked him for his "John Hancock" he kept that name, but after meeting Mary Embrey, he later gained an understanding of who and what he is, and this makes Hancock more than just the average superhero.

Hancock was very entertaining but unexpectedly dramatic. The dramatic element seemed to balance well with the comedic element of the film. The transition between the funny parts and the dramatic parts were great, and it's commendable how those two key elements of the film were managed nicely, equaling to a film that had more than just action, but emotional content as well. However, because Hancock was unexpectedly dramatic, it may disappoint those who were expecting a hardcore comedic action movie; while there was action in this film there was also a fair degree of drama. Even though this movie was primarily advertised has an action comedy, the dramatic element was not bad at all. In closing, the immortal and historic twist in the film made Hancock somewhat of a distinct superhero movie.

The major problem with this film is the absence of a clearly defined plot. Hancock did not have a well defined goal in the film. Hancock was a crime fighter, but he was not going after a certain villain that was threatening to destroy the human race. Although the film did not have a well defined plot, it did have closure. At the end of the film, movie-watchers understood who Hancock was and why he was so grumpy. Metacritic.com indicated this film received mixed reviews, and Rottentomatoes.com indicated 57 fresh tomatoes to 102 rotten ones. This film was entertaining; I give it a C+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.