Closet Sci-Fi Geek

Ghost Rider…Ouch

Love Nicolas Cage…but what was up with that horrible movie Ghost Rider? That was downright embarrassing. It would have been much much worse without Cage in it though…hope there’s no sequel.

Have You Seen Spider-Man 3 Yet?

Because I haven’t. Honestly, I don’t get the hype. So what that it’s the “biggest box office opening”? PRICES HAVE GONE UP. At freakin’ $11 or more per ticket in Los Angeles no wonder we keep getting these “record-breaking” box offices every summer. And you wonder why I wait for most things to come out on DVD.

I will make an effort to see the next Pirates of the Caribbean in the theaters, though. Love that Johnny Depp. Oh, and Orlando Bloom. Yum. I’ll take one or both of them over Toby McGuire any day of the week!

V for Vendetta

Natalie Portman stars with Hugo Weaving in this comic book adaption that portrays an Orwellian Britain in the future. “V” is our hero/anti-hero, a masked man whose face we never get to see, but whose erudite voice attempts to charm and persuade for his cause.

I loved this and I hated it; hated it because Hugo Weaving’s voice behind a creepy-looking mask gets kind of annoying at times. This is not his fault; it’s the ridiculous comic-book dialogue he is forced to speak. Portman does a fine job as the female protagonist, but the semi love story that evolves here still doesn’t feel quite right.

I loved the ending; it was surprisingly inspiring, and overall the film had an important point to make about governments gone bad. I give this one a B.

Superman Returns: Will the Real Lois Lane Stand Up?

Brandon Routh as Superman: Yummy! Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane: Hello?

I finally got around to seeing Superman Returns. It became a rental, instead of an in-theater must-see, due to the lukewarm reception. I actually liked it better than I expected (I kind of wish I had seen in the theater), but it had its problems, as everyone else has already stated.

First, I must comment on the casting of Lois Lane. I realize others have before me. I know that Kate’s young age did not go over very well to others. Well, it did not work for me either. Note to casting directors: It is one thing to have a young, childless Lois Lane played by a 22-year-old. It is quite another to have Lois Lane, mother of a 5-year-old son, played by a 22-year-old. Get real! Lois should be around 30 years old, not 20!

But even if Kate were 10 years older, that would not have helped. Margot Kidder played a terrific Lois Lane. Teri Hatcher played a terrific Lois Lane. Kate Bosworth, however, is no Lois Lane. She did a fine job playing a female character in an action movie. She just wasn’t Lois. Not only was she too young, her face is too delicate (Lois should have a strong face), and she’s just too passive by nature. I’m not faulting her acting. She just wasn’t right.

Teri Hatcher, at 40something, would have been better playing the role. She’s still hot, so what’s the problem? We all know Superman doesn’t age like the rest of us. While Superman stays young, Lois will age. Right? Get Teri back in there!

Oh well.

At least Brandon Routh was a fine choice for Superman. He filled his tights well. I liked him almost as much as I liked Dean Cain. (Christopher Reeve…well, let’s just not compare, OK?) Unfortunately, they did not give dear Brandon enough time to play Clark Kent. Had this happened, we might have seen more chemistry between him and the aforementioned poorly-cast Kate, but that did not happen.

Onto Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor: Wow, as Kevin ages, he sure is starting to look a heck of a lot like Gene Hackman. He acted a heck of a lot like Gene Hackman too. Good for continuity. A bit campy for the 2000s though, but it still worked for me.

Writing: Not so great. I mean, are we to believe that everyone will simply ignore the fact that Clark Kent has come back from a five-year trip around the world, and then Superman suddenly appears the very same day, and no-one notices? C’mon.

And the idea that Lex Luthor is going to take over the world by creating a new continent: Yeesh.

I liked the action scenes though. Falling plane: Terrific. Hot Brandon flying and swooshing around. Fantastic. Earthquake in Metropolis. Great.

All in all, I thought it was enjoyable, but certainly not anything mindblowing that would take the “franchise” out of the campy 70s and 80s and into the present. In many respects, it’s the perfect “sequel” to Superman II, since it is about on that level, only with better special effects. I give it a solid B.