2043 - Men in Black III

Part of the problem with this series now is that the freshness of the concept is long gone.  Pulling back the curtain and showing how further integrated aliens are into our world isn’t fresh anymore.  Gags like Andy Warhol work mostly because of the casting rather than the gag itself.  The casting is interesting - there’s a spot on Josh Brolin doing a young Tommie Lee Jones, but despite how much I LOVE Emma Thompson, is Alice Eve REALLY the best representation of her at a young age.  For his credit I didn’t even recognize Jermaine Clement as Boris the Animal.  

I think if you can over look the logic issues with the time travelling it’s a fun film, and way way way better than the second instalment.  That said, had it not for being on Netflix, I doubt I would have ever put any effort into checking it out.  Enjoyable enough!

1382 - Hitch

I'm a fan of most things romantic-comedy. It's a genre I like to write in, it's the stories that I often gravitate to. But when they're done poorly, I just have to shake my head. I'm really sorry to all involved in this project - I know it made an ass load of money, but... really? It's just... kinda bad. The plotting is, to be kind, a bit obvious, and the dialogue is either on-the-nose in terms of story or thematic points, or way over written in how clever it wants to be. And it was miscast. I love Will Smith, but the only person that seems right in this film is Kevin. Everyone else felt a bit awkward and out of place, and the chemistry was lacking between both sets of love interests. This was an interesting concept, but I felt like the execution wasn't quite there.

I hate being overly cruel to films, but this one I just couldn't get behind. Sorry film team.

1313 - Seven Pounds

I won't lie. When this came out I just passed it off as oscar-bait. And maybe it was. I mean, is that a crime? Most of the time films are made just purely for profit, so what's wrong with them being made for the recognition of a golden statue?
What follows here, I believe, is a little more than that. I figured out pretty early on what our hero was up to, but it didn't matter, it still unfolded beautifully and the characters were still interesting. It was watching Smith's character struggle with his decisions and motivations. He was magnificent. I knew exactly what he was thinking, how he was feeling, struggling. I've loved him in a lot of his work - but this was the work of a controlled and talented performer. A far cry from the Fresh Prince we first met many many years ago.
Dawson, above, is lovely as well, and your heart goes out to her. She makes you believe in the healing power of love.
Sounds sappy, but this is a wonderful little film. It's not necessarily uplifting, and maybe it's a tad convoluted, but I didn't care - worked for me. It's not the film I think I'll ever need to see again, but I'd recommend it to anyone even vaguely curious about it. There's some wonderful things going in the telling of this story.

1219 - Men In Black

It's been a long time since I even thought about this film, and the announcement this morning that Song was planning on a third outing was a nice little surprise. I don't really recall the second film, except I was disappointed that they didn't continue the L character from Linda Fiorentino. Maybe in the next outing.
This is a fun film that does well by it's high concept, and leaves room for the franchise to have fun. This is Will Smith before he really started taking acting seriously, otherwise known as "Catch-Phrase-Smith". A fun and entertaining film. Interested to see what comes out of the third outing.

1103 - I Am Legend

I wasn't expecting this film to be that good, not sure why. I think I'd heard several people trashing it. I was entertained, mostly just because I'd watch Will Smith watch paint dry. The guy is just interesting and never fails to disappoint. There's some minor holes that bother me, but not too much. I'll let them go considering what kind of movie this is trying to be. I think that the ending was perfect and the lead up to it perfectly entertaining. If you can let logic slide a bit, it's a fun ride.

1072 - Hancock

This was easily one of the films that I was looking forward to the most. What a great premise, maybe the best original premise that I've seen so far this year, which is why it's even sadder, when in the second half of this film it kind of gets away from itself and loses it's way.

I'm not going to mention too much since I saw it in an advanced screening and don't want to ruin anything.

The actors are fine, really good actually, just not enough though to save this film from itself in the final act. The film takes a bit wide turn about halfway through, and it's a lovely twist, but it just forces the film to get more and more complicated, especially at a point in the film where we should be getting excited and it's moving further along. In addition to this Berg (the director) doesn't seem to be able to find the right tone for the film and sadly drifts back and forth between them, making it even more confusing.

I did I like it? Yeah, I guess. Would I recommend it? If you were already excited to see it, please, by all means, go. If you're on the fence then wait for DVD.