Unstoppable

I've previously expressed how I feel about movies that are based on true events, so I had some concerns about seeing Unstoppable. This movie is about an out of control train carrying hazardous materials. The train company and law enforcement try to figure out how to stop the unmanned train before it reaches heavily populated areas.

I liked Unstoppable since it has a more realistic feel to it than most action movies. I also thought the movie did a good job with most of the technical details. There were certainly some embellishments and liberties taken with the story, but that is expected with Hollywood.

The best part of the movie would have to be Denzel Washington. He plays a veteran engineer who tries to stop the runaway train. Chris Pine was good in his role as an inexperienced conductor. I liked the rest of  the cast, especially Ethan Suplee as an incompetent train yard employee.

Unstoppable is directed by Tony Scott who is known for exciting action movies like Enemy of the State, Man on Fire, Top Gun, Crimson Tide, Spy Game, and Deja Vu. This is the fifth movie he has directed starring Denzel Washington.

I give it 7.3 stars and thought it was pretty solid. It had action, drama, and suspense.  The biggest problem I had with the movie is that is seamed like it ended quickly. I would have like to have seen more. Maybe they can make a sequel where the train breaks out of the train yard and goes on another rampage and they have to call the heroes back to stop it.

The Best and Worst of Batman

I like Batman. He's a more realistic type of superhero I think most guys can relate to. If fact, if I had enough money, I'm pretty sure I would be Batman. I recently read that Christopher Nolan is scheduled to direct the Dark Knight Rises in 2012 and most of the cast members are returning.

This news got me thinking about the prior Batman movies and I thought I'd rank my favorite actors to play Batman along with the best and worst villains. When ranking actors who have played the role of Bruce Wayne, I am only considering the six most recent movies, so Adam West and any older actors are out of the running.

The Best Batmen
1. Christian Bale- (The Dark Knight and Batman Begins)
2. Michael Keaton- (Batman and Batman Returns) I never expected Mr. Mom to be a superhero, but I thought he did a good job.
3. Val Kilmer- (Batman Forever)
4. George Clooney- (Batman and Robin)

The Best Villains
1. The Joker played by Heath Ledger was by far the best villain.
2. The Joker by Jack Nicholson was considered top notch prior to Ledger's performance.
3. The Riddler- Jim Carrey was perfect for a hyper Riddler. Too bad the movie was so lame.

4. The Scarecrow-Cillian Murphy gives a creepy smug performance. I wish we saw more of him.

5. Two Face- Aaron Eckhart

The Worst Villains

1. The Penguin- Danny Devito. What was up with that?

2. Mr. Freeze- Arnold Schwarzenneger

3. Two Face-Tommy Lee Jones

4. Catwoman- Michelle Pfeiffer

5. Poison Ivy- Uma Thurman

I know that comic book fans will not be happy with my selections since my choices are so limited, but I'm only addressing those in movies at this time. This is a movie blog, not a comic book blog.

Conflicting Movie Reviews

I have been wanting to get out and see a movie all week. I was hoping to see Skyline this weekend, but when I saw that Rotten Tomatoes had given it an 11% approval rating, I decided it will have to wait. You'll have to hear my review on that movie later. As a consolation, I thought I'd like to address the topic of conflicting movie reviews.

I am always amused when I hear a friend or movie critic bash a movie and warn everyone about  how horrible it is, only to hear another person heap praises on it and tell me that it's a masterpiece. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I'm also sure there are some rigged reviews out there too. We've all seen horrible movies that went straight to video that are endorsed with rave reviews by some unknown critic who calls it "non stop laughs from start to end" or saying that it "delivers" even though it might be the worst movie ever. I guess I shouldn't be too critical because if someone paid me enough, I might be willing to endorse movies like Baby Genius, Glitter, and Daddy Day Camp too.

Sometimes you see a movie that is not very good but there might be a few scenes that make it worth watching. Some examples of this include Hot Rod. It was a dumb movie, but had 4 or 5 scenes that were funny enough to still have me recommend it to my friends (immature guys.) Mystery Men is another example of a movie that was not so great, yet it is one of my favorite movies because it has more great movie quotes that any other movie.

I guess the debate about what constitutes a good movie just adds more drama and excitement to the entertainment industry. That was one thing that was always entertaining about watching Siskel and Ebert argue with each other. 

The Bounty Hunter

I recently saw The Bounty Hunter on DVD. I was afraid it was only going to be a mediocre movie and I was right. Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston star as a recently divorced couple.

She is a reporter and he is a bounty hunter. They split on bad terms so when he sees his ex wife has a warrant out for her arrest for skipping bail, he's more than happy to take her in. He basically kidnaps her, but before he can take her to jail, the mob and crooked cops come after them because Aniston has been snooping around and has uncovered some information about a fake suicide and police corruption . The two of them have to join forces to survive and during the process they fall in love again. Oops, I forgot to give a spoiler warning.

It's not that the movie was particularly bad, but it just seemed like an average romantic comedy. It just wasn't very romantic or very funny. I snickered a couple times at some jokes and a few parts, but it wasn't that great. I didn't really buy those two as being a couple either. Maybe I was just distracted at how much I thought Gerard Butler looked like Russell Crowe. I give it 5.8 stars.