Is It Too Early To Camp Out At The Theater?

I know I've said it a million times in my reviews over at "Sutton At The Movies," but I've noticed that the latest trend in Hollywood over the last few years is to do remakes of horror movies. Ever since The Ring hit it big in 2002, it seems like everybody wants to do these remakes. It started out with just international horror with stuff like The Ring and The Grudge, but then Hollywood branched out into American horror. There's been at least twenty remakes of American horror movies this decade alone, not to mention the remakes of movies of other genres. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when it was announced that Michael Bay was going to be producing a remake of Friday the 13th.

I've never made it a secret that I'm a fan of the Friday the 13th franchise. I have been since I was ten years old. Some of my favorite childhood memories are of going to the local mom and pop video store and renting as many of them as I could. And I still haven't forgiven my dad for not taking me to see Jason Goes To Hell when it came out in theaters. (So what if I was only eleven years old? I was for sure it was going to be the last one, and I didn't want to miss it.) Over the years, I've followed Jason Voorhees's escapades from Crystal Lake to New York City to Hell and to outer space, followed him through epic battles with a Carrie wannabe, Freddy Krueger, and a comic book brouhaha with Bruce Campbell. Because of my affection for the franchise, this is the first remake that actually had me worried.

But then along came the San Diego Comic-Con, or as it should be called, the "Nerd Prom" (™ Stacie Ponder). Footage from the Friday the 13th remake was shown at Comic-Con this week, and of course you know that footage was going to show up on YouTube. I did see that footage last night, and it's made a good first impression so far. I'm sure a full-fledged trailer will end up in front of either Mirrors or Saw V (if not both), but as it stands right now, I'm pretty excited.

I'm just counting the days until February 13th, 2009. And you guys making this movie had better not let me down.

Holy Awesome Sequel, Batman!

You know that new movie, The Dark Knight? Did you know that it's awesome? Because it is!

I just got home from seeing it, and it blew me away. No kidding, this has to be the best movie of the year so far. Screw all that artsy ultra-pretentious nonsense that will get all the Oscar nominations, because for my money, The Dark Knight is where it's at. The cast is utterly fabulous, Chris Nolan's direction is awesome, the writing is solid, and when thrown all together as one big whole, it's a movie that blows away nearly everything that could possibly resemble competition.

And I know that much of the attention The Dark Knight has been getting is due to it being Heath Ledger's final completed movie. I do wonder if the movie would have earned such notoriety if Ledger were still alive, but either way, his performance makes the entire movie better through cinematic osmosis. He steals every scene he's in through his frenetic performance, to the point that the movie very nearly begins to gravitate around him. And as much as I love Jack Nicholson's Joker from 1989, Ledger's just might be better. He's been gaining some early Oscar buzz, and if Javier Bardem can win last year, Ledger just might have a chance.

Heath Ledger might be getting all the attention, but the rest of the cast aren't any slouches either. Christian Bale and Michael Caine are perfect as Bruce Wayne and Alfred, while Aaron Eckhart puts forth a noble performance as Harvey Dent. And I've also got to give a big thumbs up to Maggie Gyllenhaal, who makes us all wish that they'd hired her for Batman Begins instead of Katie Holmes.

I cannot say enough positive things about The Dark Knight. It's an amazing movie from beginning to end, and it's a true benchmark in the superhero genre. So I'm going to give it four and a half stars on my patent-pending Five-Star Sutton Scale, and if you haven't seen it, go get in line now. And you know, it's nice to see that the superhero genre has evolved into movies like Iron Man, Hellboy 2, and The Dark Knight. Just like the comic books that serve as their inspiration, superhero movies have started growing up. Of course, their sense of whimsy is still there, and I hope it stays. But they've finally started becoming mature pieces of art, and bravo for that.

Things In The Works

I think it's been a while since I mentioned the big project I was working on for "Sutton At The Movies," so why not spend a little time discussing it?

In case you've forgotten (and I wouldn't doubt it, since like I said, it's been a while) is a sequel to a similar project I did a few years back called "Super Saturday." Similar to the "Sutton At The Arcade" thing I did earlier in this year, it's basically a big group of reviews with a common theme, which in this case would be superhero movies. I've got at least twelve or thirteen reviews lined up for "Super Saturday 2," so I think it might take me a while to get through them all. But I've got two done and another one almost finished, so I'd like to think I'm progressing along quite nicely.

All I really have to do now is hunt down decent downloads of Hellboy 2 and The Dark Knight (or just wait four to six months for the DVD releases), and I'll have my whole lineup set. I'm a little bummed that I can't find Howard the Duck or Steel anywhere, but eh, I guess I'll survive. It's probably for the best too, since I'd probably claw my eyes out watching those steaming turds again. Anyway, the reviews I've got lined up will get done sooner or later, so keep an eye out for them in the next few months. Okay? Cool.

Who Watches The Watchmen?

Seriously, March 6th can't get here fast enough.

Give 'Em Hell, Boy

Once again, yours truly made his way to the movies this afternoon. I know it seems like I've been saying that a lot lately, but that sort of thing will happen when you're a movie fan during the summer blockbuster season. Anyway, I hit a movie theater this afternoon to check out Hellboy II: The Golden Army. I was a fan of the first movie, so I was most definitely looking forward to a sequel. And I'll say that Guillermo del Toro didn't let me down at all.

Hellboy II is nothing but fun from beginning to end, no doubt about it. It feels like some scenes containing a plot point or two were missing, but it's nothing that detracts from the movie in any way. It's still constructed in such a fashion that will keep you engaged and entertained through the whole movie. From del Toro's direction and script to the actors, all of the movie's elements combine to make a fine piece of work. And how about that cast, huh? Each and every major player - particularly Ron Perlman in the lead role - does a fantastic job, and the interactions between the protagonists is enough to warrant the ticket price.

After seeing this, I can say that there's now a movie to rival Iron Man as the best comic book movie of 2008. (That is, unless The Dark Knight blows them all out of the water next weekend.) Hellboy II is, quite simply, a great movie. So on my Five-Star Sutton Scale, I'll give it a solid four stars, for sure. Go check it out, folks.

Fifty Dollars Well Spent

It's common knowledge amongst my longtime readers that in addition to my affection for movies and comic books, I'm also a fan of professional wrestling. Yeah, I know that there's a certain stigma around both pro wrestling and its fans, but whatever, I'm a fan anyway.

I mention that because I got to attend the WWE house show at Rupp Arena last night. This was the first WWE event I've been to since the pay-per-view show they ran back in 2006, and they didn't let me down. The show was nothing but fun from start to finish, but I guess I can say that about every WWE show I've been to over the last ten years. From the big name talent to the no-name talent, everyone on the show did their best to entertain the crowd and make it worth the money spent. And for that, I thank them.

I'm bummed that Kentucky doesn't get very many WWE shows, though. It seems like we only get one or two every other year, and we get TV tapings even less than that. I doubt anybody from WWE will ever read this, but why not bring more TV shows or pay-per-views to the Lexington area? Heck, at this point, I'd be happy with a TNA show, and I don't even watch TNA.

Yeah, I guess that this post hasn't been as in depth as it could have been. But there isn't really all that much I can say. A WWE show is something that needs to be seen in person, instead of having it described to you. And needless to say, I'll definitely be at Rupp Arena next time they come to town.

Where Can I Buy A Robot Like Wall-E?

I said in my post on Friday that I wanted to go out and see Wall-E sometime, and that's just what I did this afternoon. I must admit to having something of a love/hate relationship with Pixar. I love half of their movies, and I'm rather ambivalent towards the other half. But I thought the commercials for Wall-E looked cute, so I made a point of seeing it when the opportunity presented itself today.

And let it be known that every positive thing you may have heard about Wall-E is true. It's a thoroughly entertaining, enjoyable movie from start to finish. I was initially afraid that the movie's whole eco-friendly subtext would be overbearing or preachy, but it really wasn't, and Wall-E's a far better movie because of that. It focuses more on the love story between the two lead characters, and it does it with as little dialogue as possible. The two leads, Wall-E and Eve, have a combined vocabulary of about six words. And truth be told, they don't need to speak. Pixar has let their animation do the talking here, similar to the old silent movies. Only one robot and the human characters have any extensive dialogue, and you know what? That works just fine.

I really cannot say enough good things about Wall-E. Once it has its hooks in you, it'll suck you in and keep you involved all the way to the end. It's charming, heartwarming, funny, and worth every dime of the ticket price. So on the World Famous Five-Star Sutton Scale, Wall-E is worth an easy four stars. Go see it and enjoy it, if you haven't yet.

And I Thought Iron Man Was The Drunk Superhero

Happy fourth of July, everybody. I hope all of my fellow Americans have had a great day. Me, I've had a fine one, thanks for asking. Didn't get to see any fireworks, but it's no big deal. You don't really need fireworks to have a rockin' Independence Day. (Though it helps!)

I actually celebrated the holiday by doing what I do most weekends: I went to the movies. Yeah, it's my usual routine, so what? Anyway, I went out and saw Hancock, the new superhero movie starring Will Smith. Now I know Hancock has been getting some pretty mixed reviews, but I had to go and see it for myself. I'm a sucker for superheroes, what can I say? And I have to admit that I liked the movie, for sure.

Smith is really entertaining, as always, and Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron are both likable too. The only problem with Hancock is that after the mid-movie twist, it can't seem to maintain the adrenaline level it had built up during the first half. Once that twist occurs, things start going crazy. The tone of the movie completely changes from an irreverent action/comedy into a more serious drama-oriented superhero movie. It's kind of jarring once you notice it, especially since it ends up leading to a climax that feels rushed and ultimately, not as satisfying as it could have been. The fact that the movie got cut down from an R-rating to a PG-13 rating seems a little obvious too, since there feels like there should be a little more to the movie than what there is. They'll probably restore all of the excised material for an unrated director's cut when it comes time to release Hancock on DVD, but I really wish it had been left in the movie's theatrical release.

Flaws and inconsistencies aside, I'll fess up to having a lot of fun watching Hancock. I wouldn't call it the best superhero movie of the summer so far, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth watching. I guess I'd give Hancock three and a half stars on my patent-pending Five Star Sutton Scale, and a certain thumbs up. Now I just need to get around to seeing Wall-E...