It’s time to get back on track as Hollywood continues to unveil its weekly array of tent pole titles. For 11 July, here are the films in focus:
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army [rating: 10]
This is big screen fantasy as a wish fulfillment free for all, a far out fairytale told in the most intricate of celluloid calligraphy.
Ever wonder what it would be like if your favorite filmmaker had the creative freedom to realize his or her own inner artistic aims? Ever lament the fact that directors like Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, or Darren Aronofsky are stuck working within a studio system that demands certain commercial sacrifices over an individual’s aesthetic desires? Well, welcome to the world of Guillermo Del Toro. Here’s a man brimming with imagination and invention, and yet no film has really allowed him the kind of collective carte blanche to fulfill his most outlandish visions…until now. Thanks to the universal acclaim of Pan’s Labyrinth, and a future helming The Hobbit, someone finally gave Del Toro a limitless paintbox. The brilliance that is Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, is the result. read full review…
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D [rating: 6]
As it chugs along like a novice marathon runner aware of its inability to win the race, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D does nothing to dissuade us from its earnest need to entertain.
There is nothing wrong with being generic. There is no crime in staying standard and formulaic. Sure, it signals a kind of creative malaise on the part of the product being discussed, but when it comes right down to it, if something achieves the basic goals of its medium or market, why should it be punished for doing so in a solid and efficient way. This issue seems especially important when considering the latest update of the Jules Verne classic Journey to the Center of the Earth. Though this new film obviously believes it offers a unique twist on the storied adventure romp, it’s really just a standard spectacle wrapped up in a technological gimmick that more or less salvages its existence. read full review…
In Brief
Meet Dave [rating: 4]
Meet Dave. Dave is a spaceship. He comes from the planet Nil with a scheme to drain all the world’s oceans. Dave is piloted by a collection of Central Casting clichés, the most telling of which is star Eddie Murphy as the Captain, channeling Patrick Stewart by way of the School of Bad British Accents. Our former funnyman is also the ship itself, a silent movie slapstick mugging plot device that never works beyond a basic kid vid mentality. Somehow scripted by MST3K‘s Bill Corbett (in collaboration with TV scribe Rob Greenberg), this middling misfire can’t decide what it wants to be. At any given moment, it’s part speculative sci-fi, part retarded family film, with just a little regressive romance and pop culture discomfort to really mix things up. For something supposedly so future shock, this entire project feels derivative and dated. Granted, it’s not the race-baiting hate crime known as Norbit, but with the same subpar director behind the camera (Brian Robbins needs his DGA card revoked, pronto), we get gay stereotypes battling incomplete ideas for lead lameness. Naturally, nobody wins. At one time, Murphy represented the cutting edge of comedy. Now, high concept paydays like Meet Dave prove he’s only in it for the money, no matter how mediocre the means of achieving said cash may be.