Family, 103 Minutes, 2011
Who doesn’t love “The Muppets”? Big, dumb, jerk-faced idiots – that’s who! Jason Segel loved the muppets so much that he spent the better part of the last 10 years writing this movie. More than that he made it about my muppets (and maybe yours too): The Muppet Show muppets.
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” on IMDB
Sci-Fi/Comedy, 109 Minutes, 2005
Today is the 12th annual Towel Day, a celebration of all things Douglas Adams. In celebration (and since the kids happen to be home from school) we decided to grab our towels and cuddle up on the couch and watch this.
Rated E for Everyone; Reviewed on PS3
The debate as to whether video games can be “art” is worth no more time than any of the multitude of similar debates that raged in the past. Popular music, movies, comics, animation – essentially all new mediums – have been accused initially of lacking some quality that raises them to the level of “art”. The debate is worthless because the answer is always the same: yes, they can be art but most often aren’t.
(The fascination for me on this topic is that film critics often incite this ridiculous conversation. People who can see plainly that “The Seven Samurai” [IMDB] is art and “Mega Piranha” [IMDB] is not but are wholly unable to see that parallel in other fields. Baffling.)
Action Adventure, 143 Minutes, 2012
Was there really any chance this would be a bad film? All of the prequel films (with the arguable exception of “The Incredible Hulk” [IMDB] which I personally felt was an unneeded remake) were top-notch. The studio enlisted geek God Joss Whedon to write and direct. The marketing machine has been running non-stop for months. Of course the best laid plans always have a chance to explode in one’s face but this was as much of a lock as I’ve ever seen.
Sci-fi, 114 Minutes, 2008
A friend of mine suggested this one and I have no idea how I missed it. Apparently it was in theaters and everything! Good actors and a significant budget carry it a long way. Some interesting ideas carry it further but a few unfortunate missteps keep it from real greatness.
The Empire Strikes Back on IMDB
There are few bonding experiences more important to geek dads than sharing the original trilogy with their children. As this is the first Star Wars Day in several years that falls on a non-School Day (and the men-folk happen to be alone all evening) we’re making a full day of it: friends, all three films, popcorn and pizza.
Since we’re still waiting for George Lucas to pull his head out of his ass (or suffocate up there and let somebody else run things) and release the theatrical versions on Blu-Ray we’re watching the DVD versions. I’m not quite as rabid as some about the special editions but they do deserve at least a measure of the derision they get.
Family, 126 Minutes, 2011
It’s sometimes hard to review universally acclaimed films. There’s a temptation to run counter to the pack and find flaw (anything everybody likes can’t really be good can it?) Sometimes you just have to admit it though: the pack has its moments. This is something special.
My wife and daughter are away overnight so my son and I decided to have a long-delayed Trilogy day. Which was his decision (Star Wars, The Matrix or Lord of the Rings) and he decided on Lord of the Rings (the extended editions, of course). We started late which means we won’t finish until after 3am, but there’s no school tomorrow and there’s always time for bonding, right?
Horror/Comedy, 99 Minutes, 2004
Our annual “Boiled Eggs and Brain Eaters” Easter zombie movie marathon comes to a close with our traditional last selection, the complete and total classic “Shaun of the Dead.”
