The Movie Mind

Movie Mind Says:  Add to Online Rental List

If You Like This You Should Watch:  Jumper
Better Than:  My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Worse Than:  Iron Man

Starring: Will Smith, Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron

Hancock is a tale of two-halves, starting out as light-hearted, funny, and entertaining, only to cross over into more of a sci-fi thriller focusing on more than just a flawed superhero. I personally preferred the latter, where for the first time since The Man of Steel turned evil in Superman III, we saw inside a much conflicted hero and what life in our world is like. I feel that the story took a turn into the realm of what is typically produced from the genre instead of keeping to this in-depth character portrait it began as. Will Smith is somewhat handcuffed in the role but still manages to be someone I can’t stop watching. He kept the film from completely derailing, since this film could have been the “only one of its kind” instead of your run of the mill superhero flick.

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Bud Selig can’t seem to get out of his own way. In what amounted a ticking time bomb on course to disgrace the game once again (ala 2002’s infamous tie), Selig merely sat on, looking like a cross between Big Bird and Count Chocula, watching the managers squirm in a situation that would never have been a concern if not for his incompetent leadership. In a game that was equal parts atrocious baseball (27 hits with only 7 total runs, 5 total errors) and brilliant playmaking (amazing defensive stops and outfield putouts), the fans were more on edge about how the game would end instead of who would win it. Maybe Selig has a plan after all, if not to make the game itself meaningful, then to make it as uncomfortable as possible for managers and fans alike.

The longest All-Star Game in MLB history came in a shade under 5 hours, and anyone dumb enough to stay up and watch it (ie. me) had to have been disappointed in the ending. Not in that it was ultimately decided by another exciting and close play at the plate, but in a sadistic way we wanted to see what happened if it had to go another inning or two. Part of me thought someone from the Tampa Bay Rays would have come running onto the field like an angry parent and taken their staff ace (Scott Kazmir) off the mound themselves, and the other part of me thought that the game would have been called off altogether as Yankee Stadium patrons pelted Big Bird Selig with debris and insults the like he never heard before. After watching a single meaningless game for over 1/5 of an entire day, it was the only result that would have made me happy.

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Movie Mind Says:  Rent It

If You Like This You Should Watch:  Garden State, The Ex (aka Fast Track)
Better Than:  Smart People
Worse Than:  American Beauty

Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner

After a long string of testosterone-laden films I finally gave my wife the pick of rentals for a day. Much to my dismay, she came up with Juno. I had avoided it for a long time, but its viewing was inevitable, especially after all the awards and buzz. I knew there would be a day where it and I would cross paths. Obviously I lived to tell about it, but I am still trying to wrap my head around how I feel overall. An easy summation would be to call this film Knocked Up for girls. Unfortunately, I think that may only be half the truth.

Ellen Page certainly earned all the praise she received playing Juno MacGuff, a high school junior who gets knocked-u…excuse me, impregnated, by her slacker band-friend Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). The film takes us through what it’s like being a high school girl who thought she had everything figured out about life, but realizes there is far more to learn.

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