Prometheus

I saw Prometheus this weekend with the hubby and thought it was fantastic.  Mr. Scott, you are definitely back in the game (not that you ever really left).  As I figured, Noomi Rapace was great.  She wasn't Sigourney Weaver's in-your-face-she-could-definitely-kick-my-ass Ripley, but certainly showed a chick could be tough, and boy, was she tough.  Playing Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, an archeologist (or maybe an anthropologist, or maybe a combination of both) she and Dr. Charlie Holloway (played by Logan Marshall-Green, who could double for Tom Hardy anyday) are searching for the origins of human life and think they have found it in ancient cave drawings, artifacts, etc. which all point to the same star cluster in the sky.  Enter the dreaded Weyland Industries who funds their trip.  You know that it can't possibly a good thing they're involved.  They come with the requisite corporate heavy, played by a rather cold-blooded Charlize Theron, and an artificial human, Michael Fassbender.  The cast is rounded out by Idris Elba, the ship's captain, and a creepy-looking Guy Pearce as Mr. Weyland.

The story is pretty well set up without you having to ask too many questions going in.  They are all in the requisite cryotubes to get through the journey to this moon that's the only habitable thing in the area these drawings were pointing to.  David, the artificial human, is the only one awake during this entire period as he learns to decipher ancient languages and has a few "human" moments.  The gay couple sitting next to us in the theater seemed to thoroughly enjoy the scenes showing him dying his roots blond.  The crew awakens when they get to the planet, LV-223, and see what the big fuss is about.  They find a bit hollow structure that they, of course, have to investigate immediately.  Can't wait a few hours or until the next morning when there might be more time.  While checking this thing out, a big storm pops up (surprise!), and a couple people from the group get stranded there overnight.  I won't reveal any spoilers, but if you're like me, you knew this couldn't end well.  From there the entire trip goes to pot and the main characters are left trying to figure out what's going on and how to fix everything.

It's fast-paced, has more than a few "ew" moments, and definitely answers the question by the end of the movie if this is an Alien film.  I won't tell you the answer, but I'm happy with it.  And it definitely leaves the door open for a sequel.  Yes, please, Ridley, do a sequel.

I saw this in 2D, because we all know what I think about the 3D debacle, and thought it was just fine. I will be purchasing this on Blu-Ray when available, and guess what, it's already available for pre-order.  It was actually available before the movie even released.  Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves movie executives?  Just sayin.

Contraband

Contraband was the DVD in the PS3 last night, courtesy of Netflix. If you don't know already, Mark Wahlberg (Marky Mark!) plays Chris Farraday, a used-to-be smuggler turned family man who gets pulled back into the game to help bail out his brother-in-law, played by Caleb Landry Jones (Banshee from X-Men: First Class; see, trying to help y'all out on 6DofKB!), who gets mixed up with a funky-sounding Giovanni Ribisi playing the bad guy role.  Kate Beckinsale (who I think is lovely) plays his wife, and Ben Foster (another X-Men alum, though not the same movie) is his best friend.  Movie is set in New Orleans, which, incidentally, I think about 1 in 4 movies is now shot in part in the great state of Louisiana.  Hollywood execs love them tax breaks.  Lots of shots of the river and the boats that be floating down the mighty Mississippi.

Anywho, Chris decides to help out his bro-in-law--the kid is forced to dump a drug stash he was smuggling in because of a boarding by CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) and then is in trouble with the bad dudes paying him to smuggle said drugs--because he's family, even though it's obvious he thinks the kid is out of his mind for getting involved in anything resembling what used to be the family business (Chris' dad is in prison for smuggling and is just happy his son never got busted).  The wife is grateful for the help but not happy Chris is reverting to his old ways.  Chris is bound and determined to not smuggle drugs, and decides on counterfeit bills from Panama.  Yeah, who knew?  It follows his escapades down there including a run-in with a semi-bad dude and new tips on testing money to see if it's counterfeit. (I always wondered what they were looking for with those brown pens at stores.  Now I know.)

There's a decent twist at the end and one that I had already anticipated; no, I won't give out any spoilers, but will say not too surprising.  Mark Wahlberg is his usual self; Ben Foster does a good job as the almost-brother with issues of his own, and David O'Hara pops into a few scenes and is pretty fantastic (maybe it's just because of his accent).  Overall, not too bad, but glad I didn't spend $15 to see it at a theater.

Agree?  Disagree?  Let me know at sixdegreesofkb@hotmail.com.

So It Begins...

Prometheus releases this Friday and I will be one of the millions going to see it.  Well, maybe not on Friday, but definitely this weekend.  I hope it doesn't suck.  Granted this is a Ridley Scott pic so I'm quite sure I will enjoy it.  Plus it's somewhat Alien themed, or at least that's what the trailers allude to so here's hoping for a thumbs up.  Of course, I thought I would surely like Haywire as it was a) a Steven Soderbergh film, b) had MMA champ Gina Carano in the lead role, and c) Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender were in it.  What could go wrong?  Too bad it was a letdown.  Well, you live and you learn.

Back to Prometheus.  The cast looks stellar.  Who wouldn't want to see Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender (see, again, right?), Idris Elba (he's just always cool) and Noomi Rapace (see previous post about Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).  Keep in mind that I like the Alien movies, with the possible exception of Alien: Resurrection, because that one was just too much, but I'm not an Alien geek.  I mean that in the most flattering of terms.  I don't know the minutiae of every movie, except for maybe Aliens which is probably considered sacrilegious to Alien purists, so if they have little screw ups, I won't be able to tell which may be a good thing.  I say bring it on Mr. Scott.  Welcome back into the fold of Alien fans.  You have been away too long.

I did see Men in Black III which turned out to be about what I expected for a sequel of a sequel.  In typical fashion, the storyline was okay, the acting was okay and the effects were okay.  I did like Josh Brolin's take on "K" which was a good imitation of Tommy Lee Jones.  Other than a moment near the end of the movie with Josh Brolin doing a fairly good job making me tear up--don't worry, no spoilers--it was pretty meh.  Probably would be a wait for cable rather than renting it.  Not that the movie was bad, but it wasn't great either.  Solidly mediocre.  At least it wasn't boy band zombie movie bad, which I never thought it would be.  Just sayin'.

Can I just have a mini-rant again on the whole 3D hysteria that seems to be sweeping Hollywood?  Please stop already.  I already think that 3D is highly overrated.  It's not like we as moviegoers actually think the actors are coming out of the screen, or that an explosion might actually hit us.  I think Hollywood at large is just doing its best to gouge us for more cash since 3D, IMAX, etc. means the ticket price is higher, sometimes even twice as much as a standard ticket.  It was announced that the new G.I. Joe movie which was set to release the same weekend as Magic Mike (twofold of Channing Tatum, thank you very much), has now been pushed back to a 2013 release because, wait for it, they've decided to convert it to 3D.  Really?  It's not like anyone thought this movie would be an Oscar contender, but come on already.  Along with this rant is the fact that I have a rewards membership with the local movie theater which you can earn points towards concessions and movies.  Well, you can't use those free tickets to any 3D or IMAX movie which is fine, except when it looks like Hollywood is going all 3D, all the time.  Say it with me folks:  lame.  Stop already!!!  Okay rant over.

Comments, complaints, stumpers?  Throw them at me at sixdegreesofkb@hotmail.com.