May 18 2012

Battleship

After sending an interstellar message to the nearest planet across the galaxy with conditions similar to earth, a bizarre fleet of intergalactic warships has arrived in the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of Oahu. Conveniently, Japanese and U.S. naval fleets are already located in the area to take part in annual naval exercises; now, what started out as a routine set of drills takes on a much more grave tone with implications that could mean world domination by these interstellar invaders. Will the Navy officer Hopper brothers (Alexandar Skarsgard, Taylor Kitsch) be able to keep their fleet afloat long enough to stop their challengers, and what do the invaders want with the communication towers of Oahu? And oh, what about Samantha Shane (Brooklyn Decker), will she ever get the chance to marry Hopper brother Alex, and what will her father Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson) think of the union? Based ridiculously loosely on the Hasbro board game of our youth, here’s an example of a film guilty of overcompensation. What do I mean? Well, for starters this beast clocks in at 2 hours and 11 minutes of runtime. For a film that really only needs to be about 90 minutes to entertain, it feels like the writers felt compelled for some reason to write about 6 billion subplots and sub subplots to make the film richer—this is a mistake. This superfluous exposition and pointless musing in hopes of confusing the audience further into believing they’ve seen a legitimate film speaks to the Shakespearian line “Thou dost protest too much.” Had the film just stuck to the basics, kept things simple, honest, and owned the fact it’s really a film about nothing I might actually have a little more respect for it in the morning. But let’s not stop there, no, there’s more! In fact, the film actually manages to cheapen itself one more by falling prey to the new breed of advertising, shoehorned product placement (Subway, Coke Zero, LG make that list). Audience members have already paid a zillion dollars to see this, and now you’re going to drive more ads at them with blatant product placement, yeah I know this isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last time, but seriously Hollywood? Seriously? On the flip side, rock concert loud scoring and sound effects help cover some of the suck, and who doesn’t love watching things blow up so it’s not a total loss, just keep your expectations low and you won’t be disappointed. Maybe a matinee for it’s spectacle nature. Battleship is rated PG-13. p.s. despite its long runtime and my gripes, stay all the way through the credits hint hint.


May 18 2012

What to Expect When You’re Expecting

Based on material from the wildly popular book of the same name, What to Expect When You’re Expecting is the story of five couples all on roughly the same trajectory, having a baby. And, as the case may have it, these five couples are all intertwined in an impossibly mind numbing way that could only possibly happen in the minds of a Hollywood screenwriter. But, not everyone’s journey will be easy or end in joy, how will they all resolve and who of the men involved will be joining the dude’s group on Saturday mornings? Again, another star studded cast including: Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Elizabeth Banks, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, Dennis Quaid, Chace Crawford, Ben Falcone, Matthew Morrison, Rodrigo Santoro, and Chris Rock. All weighted down in a convoluted and trendy script we’re dealing with a movie that has the best intentions but sadly makes me feel a little sick out of its contrived nature and cheese factor, but then, there are some genuine heart felt laughs along the way, just not enough to make the whole 110 minute ride feel worth it. This one’s got rental on it. What to Expect When You’re Expecting is rated PG-13.