Uncle Northcott’s Movie Reviews

2 in a row how about that!

While not in the same league as Daywatch, still an enjoyable view. The first Fantastic 4 was awful, and being that was rated PG-13 and this one only a PG, I had reservations. I was very surprised how well I liked it. The Silver Surfer was excellent and the perfect example of how to use a bad guy. Sam Raimi should have done this well with Venom instead of the cameo he gave Venom.

The Surfer is a herald for a planet-eater named Galactus. As the Surfur prepares earth to be devoured, the 4 try to stop him. The bad guy from the first 4, Dr. Doom, shows up tries to recruit the Surfer, then after failing, he works with the 4 to try to stop him, with his own agenda of course.

I may be in the minority, and if so I want minority status with its rank and privileges, but Dr. Doom is the most boring movie villian ever. Yuppie man who shoots sparks. I’ll rub my feet on the carpet and shock people! Is this a super villian or a 9-year-old? Don’t fight with him, put him in time out! Or spank him.

Spare the rod, spoil the super villian.

Anyway, at around 90 min, it’s a film that gets to the action and stays there. How to make a comic book movie.

1. Introduce bad guy.
2. Have 1st confrontation.
3. Figure out how to counter.
4. Have a betrayal, boo hiss.
5. Blow everything up.
6. Celebrate while ignoring the billion’s of dollar’s damage and millions of lives lost.

Easy as 1-2-3-4-5-6.

Not real thrilled with the massive product placement. No subtlety here.

Something I always wonder–with a large object, like Galactus or the ships in Independence Day, why astronomers never seem to see it coming. Anyway, You don’t have to completely shut your brain off, just don’t look too close.

Next: Knocked Up

In a word - awesome!

Nightwatch was great and so is Daywatch. Important: see Night before Day. There’s a truce in the battle between good and evil. Good has the Nightwatch and evil has the Daywatch. Both sides watch the other to make sure that no one breaks the truce. Excellent acting, imaginative special effects, and a director that obviously is having fun with the material. It’s the age old struggle of good vs. evil, father and son, man and woman and which side you choose and why. Good stuff. The best film I’ve seen in awhile.

Along those line’s here is a list of the best stuff in awhile.

• CD: Tom Petty “Highway Companion”. From the 1st note to the last - excellent.
• Book: “The Road” by Cormac Mccarthy. A heart-rending tale about goodness and innocence in the end times.
• T.V: Flight of the Conchords. Two New Zealanders in New York playing in a 2-man band and trying to meet girls. I’ve only seen 1 show but it was very funny.

Next review: I’m not sure. Maybe Knocked Up or Fantastic 4. Or maybe, if your lucky, an art film about the sand farmers of the Sahara. Oooh!

Not bad. William Hurt was good as usual, and Kevin Costner was his robotic self, but Dane Cook was out of his league. If an actor is an established dramatic actor, he can do comedy and not be pigeonholed, but if they do comedy first, it’s hard to be taken seriously. Dane played this bad guy, but every time he spoke, all I heard was the stand-up guy. Good stand-up, bad acting.

There was a Twilight Zone, or maybe it was an Outer Limits . . . Anyways, mannequins would come alive for one day. This explains Costner to me. I think alien black magic brought him to life, and now our theaters are under alien control twice a year when his films come out. I suspect that Costner and Keanu Reeves can communicate in a monotone pitch that only them,the aliens and canadians can hear. I’m not sure why, but the monotones don’t really bother me Especially that blank genius, The Great Canoe Reeves. A true king of the void.

Anyway, Costner is a killer, Hurt is his alterego and Cook wants him to take him on one of his murders. If your bothered by a killer being the “good guy”, then miss this one. This might be part one of a trilogy.

Next up Daywatch. May the blankness be with you.