Change Your Image
dougtim
Reviews
Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)
With some minor changes this would have been great (Spoilers)
1. The movie went off the rails when Kelly didn't go with Billy and Thea to get the band.
2. Rufus needed to leave a cryptic clue that only Kelly and the daughters could solve to get to the win at the end
3. The Dennis Robot and the Great Leader subplot wasn't needed at all
4. Future Prison Us'es needed to help go fix things back in 1998 where something went wrong and the daughters also independently ended up there too because of Rufus' clue...mirroring the Evil Robot Us'es in the last movie. Maybe putting the garbage can on the Chief's head at the jail instead of asking him for help was what caused the rift in time, for example.
5. Who stole the phone booth at the nursing home? WTF? Something got cut and changed. Who was in the phone booth with Joann and Elizabeth at the nursing home? Their Future Us'es?
Superman Returns (2006)
"Superman Returns"
Imagine you've been asked to make a 21st-century Superman movie, but you can't upset the stalwart comic book fans of the last 60 years, you can't upset the long-time Christopher Reeve fans, you can't upset the action-loving movie-going audiences, nor the "Smallville" fans, and balance that against the fact that most superhero action movies have either been "inside job" movies which ring hollow, or lame plots (specifically, "Superman III").
This movie succeeds if you wanted a "re-imaginging" of the original movie; and yet, the characters are true to everything you've grown up with, plus incredible special effects (watch the concussion in the jet as it makes its "landing") and the additional constraint that everyone agree's that it's probably time to get Superman past Lois.
It also succeeded if you wanted something new. Lois and son; Richard is neither weasel nor killed; the screenwriters took the high road and made Richard competition without being an enemy; Perry White is actually a nice guy in his old age without letting up on the "tough boss" image. But to me, Richard wins hands-down as the the surprise character in the entire movie. The most disappointing script support in the movie was for Jimmy Olsen, though. A big opportunity missed, there.
Parker Posey's character, "Kitty," is left with a lot of potential for the next movie. She didn't do much and certainly didn't do as much for the plot as Gene Hackman's sidekick in the original movie, but to me, her character's strength lies in the potential she has to "get motivated to get smart" and oppose Lex. It was also a little creepy how they made her look like Margot Kidder. It did constrain her character too much.
As far as plot goes, the screenwriters did a nice job: Lex Luthor does the unthinkable and takes something of Superman's that we've taken completely for granted over the last 30 years and uses it to potentially destructive and horrible consequences--and yet still in its own way, mimicking the plot of the original "Superman" movie.
The difference is, this movie won't date itself in 20 years.
And they even paid the requisite homage to Christopher Reeve in the last 30 seconds of the movie, without having to sully any memories or even admit that the first "Superman" movie sure didn't stand up well to the sands of time.
To succeed, the franchise is going to have to stay true to the comics though, but needs to avoid the "Batman/Mr. Freeze" phase that ruined the Batman franchise.
With the creators of "House, M.D." on the scene behind the production of this movie, I think the franchise is in great hands.
The best inside joke: "It's like an Academy Award--people don't remember what you won it for, only that you won it." That missive sums up the task that the entire cast and crew had in making this movie!
Texas: The Big Picture (2003)
Before Texas was a State...Texas was a nation.
If you are an IMAX movie junkie, this one is great. While it doesn't have the panache of the Cirque d'Soleil IMAX movie, or the relevance of the "Space" or "Dream Is Alive" type-series, it is great eye candy and has a vast array of visual delights from the State of Texas. Texas is so huge that it boggles the mind. Did you know that horses that ran in vast herds were because the Spaniards brought them over and abandoned them? But the art of horsemanship was mastered by the Mexican Vaqueros? Before kids ride horses in rodeos, they practice by using bucking sheep! It is hilarious to see a 5 year old get bucked off of the sheep and rescued by the rodeo clown. Excellent narration, beautiful visuals, and in general, a very appealing ad to want to go visit. Put this one at the top of your list if you are working your way down the IMAX movie list. If you love the rural way of life, it's a can't-miss.