Sex and the City 2

I don't care what the critics say. Sure, it's not as good as the TV show. Sure, it's not as good as the first film. (Although at least this isn't weighed down by a totally pointless supporting performance by Jennifer Hudson). And, yes, it's extravagent. Yes, it's over the top. Yes, it's flawed. But guess what? I had a hell of a lot of fun watching this movie!
The film opens with a really cute, clever quick history lesson of New York B.C. That's Before Carrie. Then it shows the way the four ladies met in the 80s before bringing us up to date on their lives now, two years after the first film. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Big (Chris Noth) are married and happy - although suffering some speed bumps. Big wants to stay home and order take out and watch TV. Carrie wants a little more glamour. Meanwhile, Charlotte (Kristin Davis) is struggling to handle her two children and her hot nanny. Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) is dealing with issues at work, mainly a new boss who isn't a fan of such an outspoken, powerful woman. And Samantha (Kim Cattrall), well, Samantha is just being Samantha. The ladies are all in need of a vacation. But first, it's on to Connecticut where they attend the wedding of - gasp! - Stanford and Anthony officiated by - are you ready for it? - LIZA MINNELLI!!!! Liza is all kinds of fabulous (Miranda jokes that when there is so much gayness, she just magically manifests) and performs the Beyonce song and dance Single Ladies which just might be the greatest moment in film so far this year!
After the wedding, the ladies return to NYC where they all attend a premiere for Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis, who is too hot for words). There, Samantha meets the sheik of Abu Dhabi who offers her and her ladies an all expense paid trip to his luxory hotel. Of course, they take the trip and have a hell of a lot of fun in the desert. I'll spare you the details but to sum things up: camels, kareoke, bellydancers, AIDEN!, jail, sex on the beach, etc.
There has been a lot of criticism of this movie and I don't necessarily agree with all of it because the people who are criticizing it probably aren't fans of the show to begin with. But one criticism I've been hearing which I think is valid is the fact that the ladies spend most of the movie in Abu Dhabi. In the show and much of the first movie, New York was like a fifth character. It was so essential to the show that you can't imagine the film taking place in any other city. So, I agree they spend too much time in the desert but so what? It's still a fun movie! It's still great to check in on these characters again and see what they have been up to. For a generation of women, this show was something very special. It was like hanging out with girlfriends every week. Even if this movie isn't quite up to par, it's still like checking in on old friends.
In summary: the movie is flawed, sure. But it's still a lot of fun. If you are a fan of the show and the first film, I really don't see why you wouldn't enjoy fun fun follow-up!
Grade: B-

...And now back to your regularly scheduled program

Now that my experiment is over, it's back to regular blogging. Let's begin with the best (and worst) of the summer of 2008. It was actually a surprisingly good summer for movies. That - or I managed to avoid most of the really bad movies. Either way, here's the best and worst from Memorial Day to Labor Day...

The Best

The Dark Knight (A) - Brilliant in every major way. Solid directing. Witty and intelligent writing. Spectacular special effects. Great performances (Eckhart, Oldman, Bale, Caine, Freeman). One amazing out of this world performance (Ledger). The best of the summer, for sure. The best of the year, possibly.

Sex and the City (B+) - A fun way to spend two and a half hours. If you are a fan of the show, there is no way the movie could disappoint. It's everything you wanted from a Sex and the City movie and more! These women are not fictional characters. They are friends and it's good to have them back.

Pineapple Express (B+) - Sticks and stones and weed and bombs. First of all, what a great usage of Paper Planes. Second of all, we all know that Seth Rogen is funny but holy shit James Franco! What a hilarious scene stealing performance.

Tropic Thunder (B+/B) - I can't decide if it's the movie I love or just the fact that Jay Baruchel is finally on screen again. He's my current celebrity crush and he's as adorable as ever. Also, kudos to Robert Downey Jr. and his hilarious / controversial / brilliant performance.

The Good

Wall E (B) - Adorable, sure. Clever, sure. Cute, of course. There are certain scenes which are unforgettable (the first twenty minutes or so, the fire extinguisher dance scene) but ultimately it might be a little TOO cutesy.

Wanted (B-) - Off the wall craziness. Is it realistic? Absolutely not. Is it fun as hell to watch James McAvoy be an all around bad ass? Hell yeah! There may be a little too much plot actually. It gets in the way of Angelina Jolie throwing cars at buses and what not.

The Decent

Step Brothers (C+) - It's not the smartest or funniest comedy of the summer but it's still funny in a stupid kind of way. Also, the whole Boats and Hoes thing is ridiculously funny.

Hancock (C) - Hancock is sort of hit or miss. It's half of a good movie. The first half is funny and charming and original. Then it takes a turn and becomes a huge cliched mess. Still, Will Smith is the most charming man in all of Hollywood and Jason Bateman has the most perfect comic timing.

The Disappointing

Mamma Mia (C-) - Mamma Mia sure was fun at times. Seeing Meryl Streep jump around on a bed singing Dancing Queen was a hoot! There were moments of pure joy in this movie. Too bad it was spastic and messy overall.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (C-) - Shia was hot. Harrison can still kick ass. But aliens, really? Plus, it was kind of a rip off of National Treasure which was kind of a rip off of the original Indiana Jones movies. Just give it up.

The Strangers (C-) - A less edgy and inferior version of Funny Games, this movie is not scary in any way shape or form. In fact, it sort of grates on your nerves after a while. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman sure make a pretty couple but could they be any stupider in this movie?

The Bad

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (D+) - Honestly, it was so bad I fell asleep during it. Boring, boring and then when you think it can't get any more boring, guess what? It gets more boring. I forget why I gave it such a generous grade actually? Maybe it was because of my girl crush on Selma Blair.

The Love Guru (D-) - The only decent thing about this stupid, stupid, stupid movie is Justin Timberlake and his ridiculous French Canadian accent walking around in a speedo. That and the Morgan Freeman voice over joke because I not-so-secretly which Morgan Freeman would narrate my life.

The Worst

You Don't Mess With the Zohan (F) - Not even close to being funny. Close to offensive, actually. Adam Sandler is not funny. I repeat, Adam Sandler is NOT funny. Stop making movies, please. You have enough money. Just leave me alone.

Sex and the City, Funny Games, Teeth

Sex and the City - If you were a fan of the television series, then I can't possibly see a way you wouldn't love this movie. And if you weren't a fan of the television series, you have no business going to see the movie anyway. Hence, everyone that sees this movie should love it! It's got everything you could want from a Sex and the City movie - sex, shoes, fashion, New York City, friendship, cocktails, etc. It's fantastic. Over the course of six seasons, these women didn't feel so much as fictionalized characters as they felt like old friends. And I've missed them! The movie picks up a few years after the series ended. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker - adorable as ever) has moved on from her newspaper column and her Vogue articles and is now writing books. She's also still very much involved with Big (Chris Noth) and the two are looking to move into together. Miranda (Cynthia Nixon - my soul mate - I am so much like her it's scary) is still living in Brooklyn with Steve and Brady and their relationship seems to be strong... except they don't really have sex anymore. Charlotte (Kristin Davis - she has one moment in the film that blew me away) is as happy and optimistic as ever - living with Harry and their adopted daughter Lily and just generally being the luckiest lady in the world. Samantha (Kim Cattrall - fierce!) has moved to Malibu to follow Smith's acting career - something she's not all that happy about - but other than the fact she's in a monogamous relationship, she hasn't really changed all that much. Lots of changes and events occur. I don't want to give too much away but the plot and story is really well done. The acting is all very good as well. Since it's Parker's movie, she is clearly the stand out, especially in the middle half of the movie where she plays out a very uncharacteristic sequence very, very well. Overall, I couldn't have asked for anything more from the Sex and the City movie. It's really everything a Sex fan could want and it's definitely worth checking out!
Grade: B+

Funny Games - Funny Games has a similar story line to the recently released The Strangers - only it's way better and way edgier. Michael Haneke remade his own film for American audiences and it's artsy and edgy and very well done. Naomi Watts and Tim Roth star as a family (they have a son as well played by Devon Gearhart) who are retreating to their vacation house for a week or so. They arrive to the perfectly idyllic setting and are soon interrupted by a couple of very polite strangers (very blonde, very pretty Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet) who say they are guests of their neighbors. Guess what? They aren't! Then the fun starts. And it is mostly fun. This isn't just torture porn (in fact, you see very little violence - its mostly off camera). Corbet's Peter (or Tom or Tubby or whatever you want to call him) says at one point, "You shouldn't forget the importance of entertainment" as a response to Watts' Ann asking why they don't just kill them already. Indeed, this is the message of the movie. Funny Games is a stark and unrelenting look at our infatuation with violence. The film gets into your head because it shows absolutely nothing. You are left to imagine what is happening off screen (and Haneke uses great long takes so it sometimes feels like minutes until you actually find out what happened) and that is more terrifying than actually seeing anything. This movie is really a superbly crafted intellectual film (it's maybe almost too smart at times, actually). The acting is really great - especially Watts and Pitt. Watts plays the woman in distress so well. And Pitt is terrifying and hilarious at the same time. It loses pace near the end a bit - when the focus shifts primarily to Watts and Roth. Not that they aren't interesting characters - they are - but I found myself much more interested in these nihilistic, pretty, polite killers. And the ending boat scene? Fucking brilliant!
Grade: B+

Teeth - Honestly, I don't know what to say about this movie. I was somehow disappointed and somehow not disappointed. It's a strange mixed reaction to a strange film. Teeth takes a legend (vagina dentata) and runs with it - making it into a late night chick-flick gore fest. It's not so much I Spit On Your Grave (now that's a movie!) as it is bible-thumping virgin bimbo taking out the sleazy teen boys in her high school. Dawn (Jess Weixler) is a blonde high schooler who takes a vow of chastity (although that doesn't really last long - I mean, she doesn't really have strong convictions). She meets a seemingly sweetheart virgin boy who she starts to date - but then he tries to rape her and she uses her secret super power to avenge her purity. Yes, it's about as ridiculous as it sounds. It just gets cheesier and cornier as the movie progresses (and the imagery! could it be any less subtle?). The movie can be seen as some sort of feminist empowerment film - and it almost is, but there are too many inconsistancies with the message that it doesn't ever all add up. I mean, Weixler does a good enough job playing the protagonist. And writer-director Mitchell Lictenstein has some talent for making something that is a little funny and entertaining. It's not fantastic but it's also not terrible. There was so much potential there. It just didn't really work out the way it could have.
Grade: C-