Hits and Misses

Some new reviews!  I can't believe I am already 25 movies in and am not even halfway through the Bs!  This may take forever!  Luckily, I am enjoying it.  Have another non-movie review post coming up as well so come back really soon!

Movie Review #25: Big Daddy

Having a kid is great... as long as his eyes are closed and he's not moving or speaking. 

Wait a second, I used to like this movie?  What the hell was I thinking?  Ok, it really isn't that bad, but having not seen it for years, this movie is not as cute as I used to remember.  Nor is it as funny as I used to remember.  It really is just an average movie.  I already reviewed one Sandler movie that ended up being not as good as I remember and now we have a second.  Is this going to be a trend?  Man, I hope not.  Maybe it is a backlash against the crap that he has been putting out lately, who knows.

Like I said though, it isn't a bad movie.  It's kind of cute, but I never did once laugh out loud.  And man, Sandler is pretty terrible as an actor in this film.  When he attempts to look sad and tear up, it's actually pretty painful. It looks like he is holding back a sneeze.  And the kid is pretty damn annoying.  I think the most memorable aspect of this movie is the fact that whenever I see a scuba diver, I still ask if his name is Scuba Steve.  Besides that, it is a pretty forgettable film.  2 out of 5 cheeseburgers

Movie Review #26: Big Trouble in Little China

Everybody relax, I'm here. 

Thankfully, this is one movie that has not lost any of its luster and still holds up as a classic.  Despite all the amazing things this movie has, there is one big reason why this movie succeeds: Kurt Russell.  Russell as Jack Burton is clearly at the top of his game.  He's as cool as an Indiana Jones or Han Solo character to the point that it surprises me that this film never got any kind of sequel on his character alone.  He really is one of the coolest characters in film because of his great lines and awesome charisma.

But as I mentioned, although he is the biggest reason why the movie succeeds, he is not the only one.  Great villains, a fun story, and great cast of supporting characters also contribute to making this movie such a fun ride.  It's almost like a really good comic book, afterall, the large majority of the characters are comical all on their own.  Throw in magic powers, one liners, and a setting that seems other worldly, and you have a fun, but totally unique film.  How they never capitalized on this great film and created a sequel, I will never know. However, it's probably a good thing that they never attempted to recreate this film's greatness by following it up with some rushed, subpar sequel.  A good, stand alone film is a concept that should be followed more often. 4.5 out of 5 cheeseburgers

Movie Review # 27: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

Be excellent to each other

Not having seen this in years, I admit, I expected this movie to not be very good any more.  Thankfully, I was wrong.  This movie still is, well, excellent.  Now, let's not jump the gun and call this a cinematic masterpiece, but for what it is, it's perfect.

As much as we make fun of Keanu Reeves for his acting, especially early in his career, he is more believable in this role than Adam Sandler was in the film I reviewed up above.  He's perfect here as is Alex Winter.  And the amount of one liners that came out of this film were popular for many years after the release.  Hell, you could probably still yell, "Excellent!" in a group of people and most of them would know what you were talking about.  As for the film, well, we often complain that films lack imagination nowadays and that all films are too alike, but you have to give it up to this film for having a very unique plot.  And the people they got to play all of the historical characters are all so much fun and totally dive head first into their roles.  The film does still have some 80s cheese to it that doesn't quite transfer over to the modern era, but in the end, this is a fun 80s film that still holds up very well today.  3 out of 5 cheeseburgers

Movie Review #28: Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey

How's it hangin', Death? 

And this is why it is ok to just stop after one movie.  A description of the movie can be summed up simply by the movie titles.  While the first film was "excellent," the second film is definitely "bogus."  While not the worst film, or even the worst sequel I have ever seen, it isn't a very good film.  With the first film, they were able to capture a little bit of magic and put it on the screen.  You do have to hand it to the writers, they didn't just try to do the same movie by going back in time and picking up more characters.  They did try to be unique and go a new direction.  But based on the fact the the new direction ended up not being that good, perhaps they should have tried to just recreate the first film.

The new storyline is just silly.  The main villain is just comically bad.  Bill and Ted have lost some of their dumb charm of the first film and become almost annoying.  It has weird sequences with silly monsters.  It just reeks of an unimaginative, rushed film put out quickly to capitalize on the success of the first film.  The only redeeming quality of the film is William Sadler totally stealing the film as Death.  The guy simply owns every scene he is in and I would have watched a film just following his exploits.  But overall, man, this film just misses the mark.  Of course, if they ever make that rumored third film, I know I'll go see it.  1.5 out of 5 cheeseburgers