The Karate Kid– Reboot! A well done one which is always good to see. Jaden Smith is on his way to being a star, I’m sure he’ll just get better with age. There are a few lines where his father posseses his body for a few yucks and there are a skant few eye rolling moments, but it was a touching fish out of water story. It was a huge move on getting Jackie Chan to take on the Mr. Miyagi role. I love him as it as and he brought a believable and soft touch to his mentor character. Looks like Jaden really worked his ass off in training, the action scenes were well done, if few and far between. Long run time though, more than 2 hours for this is really pushing it, but it was never obnoxious. The original is pretty dated now, I really don’t think anyone got too up in arms and yelled “blasphemy!” on this reboot. Helps a lot that it turned out well.
Green Zone– Director Paul Greengrass and the always enjoyable Matt Damon re-team to make a non-Bourne movie. This one takes place in the Middle East when US forces when on the hunt for the Weapons of Mass Destruction back in 2003. Here we see the false information “first hand” as the US Army whirls around looking for the shit that was never there. I didn’t see anything really wrong with the movie, Greengrass managed not to shake a hand held camera until it broke, so that’s a treat. Matt is one of the best actors in Hollywood working today and this movie fits into his resume nicely. It’s a fast paced movie with lots of running around, shoot outs, secrets and lies. Worth checking out.
Hot Tub Time Machine– Four long time friends take a retreat to their old ski lodge in the mountains hang out where they unwittingly take a ride through time thanks to the hot tube in their suite. They’re brought back to the 80’s and have a chance to relive and change what they did 30 years ago. It’s a goofy premise and a goofy movie. They wisely don’t take themselves too seriously and don’t fall on the old crutch of “Hey that cell phone is HUGE!” type gags. Nothing is beaten into the ground so there is nothing that’ll make you shut the movie off in disgust. It’s got a strong cast, but it’s a love it or hate it movie. Certainly helps if you were alive in the 80’s. I enjoyed it, funnier than I thought it was going to be, but honestly I thought it was going to be a complete bomb.
Clash of the Titans– Hollywood Summer Blockbuster. The less you pay to watch it, the better you feel by the end of it. Greek mythology generally entertains me and I like Sam Worthington as Perseus. He looks like a guy who could handle the gods wrath. There is more CG at play here than you can shake a stick at and it’s mostly very good. The 3D conversion for the theatrical run was reportedly a complete disaster, but that eye sore wasn’t at play here. Gigantic action set pieces, epic score, the stuff only Hollywood excels at.
Cop Out– More disappointing than anything. You would think Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan could work in a buddy cop movie but it’s…boring. Bruce Willis is just running through the numbers and Tracy Morgan is wacky. Terrific. Just no good jokes for them to work with. Seann William Scott is the best part of the movie and he has a tiny role. Kevin Smith directs and it’s nothing special there (shocking, I know). He’s got some terrible music choices that are so dated and cliche it’s silly. Can’t recommend it.