When I go to the movies, I prefer a decent thriller or drama. Not a super hero film, a musical or animation. But in the summer, that is all you get. Don't get me wrong. They all have their moments, so I'm glad I saw them all, especially the last.
Another graphic novel turned into a movie, Wanted is a mostly a series of action scenes. The dialogue is very poor, but I guess that is not what the film is about. For me, the best part of the film is an early chase sequence, when James McEvoy runs away from those trying to kill him. So all is fine, until he realises his powers. Then we off into a mish mash of all the shoot em up movies you can think of. With added zest, it just leaves you exhausted at the end.
When I first saw the trailer for Mama Mia, I couldn't wait to see it. I thought the stage show was brilliant. In the end, the film certainly had it's highlights, but was effected by some serious flaws. I have never been to a movie with so many highs and lows. A sentimental blast of Abba coupled with colourful ensemble singing and dancing tugged at the heart, but what followed was normally a big let down. The best people in the stage show for me, were the three men. They sang and fooled around with gusto. In the movie, they are frankly, diabolical. Nearly all their singing has been give to Pierce Brosnan, and his is an embarrassment. All three seem as if they thought it would be a good idea at the time, but wished they weren't there. Very different from the three women. Meryl Streep can sing, and Julie Walters is funny. If only the casting director had got it right, it could have been so much better.
There are very few animated films I like. Wallace and Gromit and that's about it. But the reviews for WALL.E were so good, I had to give it a try. And I'm glad I did. I thought it was a very brave and innovative film, something that all who worked on it were passionate about. And it showed. To have the main character whose only word is Eve-a, is this unprecedented? But the little robot is stuffed with character, whether he was selecting items of rubbish to keep, like the ring box but not the ring, or his excitement on flying through space with the aid of his fire extinguisher, which he even learns to use with delicate effect. I thought the contrast between the dirty, polluted Earth and the pristine space ship was excellent. And there were so many modern references to matters such as waste, obesity and pollution. The music was great. I will always remember Michael Crawford singing "Put on your Sunday Clothes". I will definitely watch next time "Hello Dolly" comes on TV. Brilliant.
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