Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – Movie Review

From the opening credits, where the Universal Studios logo and theme are rendered in 8-bit graphics and sound, I knew that Edgar Wright (director of other geek-friendly satires such as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) was going to do a great job with this movie. The premise was totally fun and drool-worthy on…

Movie #25: Kick-Ass

I’m glad that Kick-Ass marks the halfway point of my movie marathon because it really exceeded my expectations. First, I have to come clean that I am a comic-book-loving geek fanboy who would be the intended target of any movie about a teenager who decides to put on a suit and become a superhero (It’s…

Iron Man 2 – Movie Review

This Iron Man sequel picks up from the first movie after Tony Stark (played as cocky as you’d expect by Robert Downey Jr.) had announced to the world that he was the man in the iron suit. Things are not great for the fantastic Mr. Stark even as the world/U.S. sees him as a hero….

Watchmen — Movie review

In the geek universe, there is no more anticipated film this year than Watchmen. The complex story is set in an alternate 1980s where someone is killing off costumed superheroes, an omnipotent nuclear man wrestles with his humanity, and the world lies at the brink of Armageddon. Adapting the widely-acclaimed graphic novel masterpiece to the…

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer – Capsule Review

As the summer of sequels continues, it take more and more blockbuster magic to impress. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer already had a knock against it, being the sequel to an incredibly mediocre super-hero first installment. While all the same actors are reprising their roles for the sequel (even the terribly miscast Jessica…

3 x 3 – Capsule reviews of Pirates 3, Shrek 3 and Spidey 3

You know it’s summer when the blockbuster sequels come out to play. Already the news stories have trumpeted which movie had the biggest opening, and which one came along to knock it off the top. In a three-in-a-row trifecta, this summer sees the return of the third installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean, Shrek,…

Superman Returns – Movie Review

Despite the passage of almost three decades, the recycled John Williams theme music not only took me back, but it begged comparisons between Superman Returns and the 1978 Christopher Reeve classic Superman. How does this one match up against its predecessor? How does Brandon Routh do against Reeve? What about Kate Bosworth vs. Margot Kidder…

X-Men: The Last Stand – Movie Review

What is it with sci-fi and trilogies? And why do they end so poorly? Matrix Revolutions was confusing and a bit of CGI overkill (not to mention rainy!). Aliens3 was so poorly received that they tried to compensate with Alien:Resurrection (oops!). Even Return of the Jedi was a bit over the top with its golden…

V for Vendetta: Movie Review

What if the US was in a state of chaos verging on civil war? What if the UK had come under the rule of a fascist dictator? What if the “Phantom of the Opera” was more interested in politics than music? What if that same man was the people’s only hope? That’s the gist of…