This is a summation of the Summer Movies I have seen with a brief up or down thumb for all you people who want a guide by The Defiant One. Lol.

And as for my true fans and friends I have the long-winded version in the archives. Now don't feel you gotta' read them all at once just come and check it out in bits and pieces as needed and comment when the whim strikes ya. Just remember I get a kick out of hearing from you just as much as I hope you do reading the stuff I have done. See ya'll soon TDO.

Nutshell Review:

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith:

This is by far the best of the new trilogy but still pales compared to the original three films. Yet it is a must see on the big screen at least once and it is there that you will get the epic feel that this saga deserves.

Batman Begins: Oh my God! This movie is the best I have ever seen a comicbook superhero franchise come to life. All the characters are spot on and Christian Bale is amazing in this, his breakout megastar vehicle. Get there now and then see it again. It is worth the repeated ten-fifty.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith If you have cable or a dvd player this is the time to thank god so that you can see this movie when it comes out for them respectively. Its just hot ass people shooting guns that "...don't get..." as Mookee would say "...naked" Save your money for something that merits the big screen especially at these new prices for a ticket.

Bewitched I like the players but not the story so it wasn't worth the watch. Nichole Kidman is lovely and Will Farrell is engaging but the truth is that they were watered down and misused by the weakness of the story. Buy a good book and stay home you'll see a better picture in your mind.

Fantastic Four All right now this is where my bias comes into play; so listen at your own fiscal risk. LOL I liked the FF based on the fact that it was the origin story and therfore the first; okay and entertaining but what I want to really see is the sequel. So comic geeks go and support it everyone else I am sure you can find something more to your liking out there.

---

Star Wars Revenge of the Sith

What worked: Out of the three prequels this was by far the best. What I liked most was the fact that the Sith was really taking control under the auspices of protecting the greater populace. What an ironic statement given the current wake of terrorist attacks and reactionary responses here and abroad.

What didn't work: Anakin's dream about Padme's death during their child's birth would have had more impact if; Anakin had not shared it with Padme' but secretly went about trying to stop the prophecy by going to the darkside. So she could not confront him about it until their final scene set against the lava pit. Just think how powerful it could have been had he thought she had betrayed him to have Anakin finally confess in a fit of blind rage that he did it all to keep her and their children alive. Only to have her tell him that she never would have asked him to do such a thing, that she would have rather died then too have him go over to the darkside. All the while pleading that he could still comeback.

Again it would have been cool to see the kids battle Anakin, not actually dying but actively defending themselves it would have shown what type of heroism they had as well as the potential threat or power of the force if these kids were too grow up.
And to add too the whole "destroying the force" issue; seeing the force destroyed on so many planets and the Jedi falling so easy, was a cheap short cut. I mean I wanted to see that green lady Jedi kick some ass and I should have, no matter if it made the movie longer the deal is satisfication not length!

Batman Begins

What worked: Everything! Batman Begins was a perfect adaptation of the Batman comicbook mythos; and after the abysmally crappy last two films it was a great relief that the franchise is getting a life sustaining breath of fresh air.

It all boils down to Christian Bale who shouldered the rebirth of the entire franchise with his obsessive attention to Bruce Wayne's inner motivation and just as American Psycho was a primer for the truly twisted. It was that duality that eluded all of the previous Batman actors with the exception of Micheal Keaton who was just a hair off with his Bruce Wayne by making him a little too goofy; but his Dark Knight made up for it, at least for the 80's.

Introducing two minor known villains was an excellent way to get around who was going to be "the big villain" idea. Which was the vehicle that crashed the last three bat flicks. Ra's Al Ghul and Scarecrow are actually long existing characters in the bat-books that only true Batman fans would know and was a cool tip of a hat to the true fans. Ra's has a daughter that is blind and hot and is a deadly ninja assassin who falls in love with Bruce/Batman to the detriment of her father's plan and schemes. Seeing the arrogant birth of the Scarecrow was pretty sweet too a lot of bang for your buck. It was definitely worthy of the hefty ten dollar and fifty cent ticket price plus the eighteen-dollar grub fee.

Persons to watch are the casting directors John Papsidera, Lucinda Syson, they just casted all the right people in the right places and in my opinion made the film. I was all for Christian Bale from the beginning after his AP role like I said earlier, his brooding intensity in movies was a given. But Michael Cain as Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Gary Oldman as a young Sargent Gordon on the Gotham PD.

Too many big names always the death of a genre franchise where the idea is more important than the actual players. But this was different when the right people are cast in the right roles. Cains Alfred was the perfect manservant, father figure, chum and dash of reality both comic and sober that Bruce/Batman needs too ground himself. While introducing Freeman as the go to gadget guy; who was not stupid or easily fooled by the early request of a new hero in training or viewing his gadgets on tv not able to figure things out for himself. But the real surprise for me was Gary Oldman as Gordon; a man conflicted about ratting on the crooked cops or leaving a job where he knows he is desperately needed. When Batman shows up; you can feel Oldman's Gordon grasping at the last chance to make things right, like a drowning man clasping on anything to stay afloat, even the hand of an unknown demon in the dark... as the Brits' would say 'brilliant'.

What didn't work: Okay this is a minor quibble its just that it seemed a little too dark, not that that didn't add to the quirkiness of the show it just I wanted to see the Batman kick ass clearly. But that being said it is only a very small point; even to the point that I should not have mentioned it; especially if it keeps one person from watching this movie.

Batman Begins didn't save the old franchise, it just proved why that dated stuff (except for the first Batman with Keaton and Nicholson) should be buried, What Batman Begins did do, was start a brand new trail too blaze; finally taking the Batman movies in a totally new direction the direction that it was intended for all along. Now being a life long fan of Batman I have a vested interest when they do this thing right it means that I still have time to get my kids too the party.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

What worked: Pretty people blowing up stuff; a few laughs. Angelina Joile was ever so smoldering hot that it actually overrode my senses of not wanting to see the movie based on the personal gossip that was swirling around her and her co-star Brad Pitt.

But for what its worth it something to see.

What didn't work:

It was just a bit of fluff it had no real story to keep it all together. Or it was draped over the name issue of the players in the tale: Joilee and Pitt both; too f'ing pretty to believe not a career making movie; more something for the dimwitted fans to ogle at and get off on the inventive gun use this was just a fantasy film on so many levels. Not even a really believable on at that.

Bewitched

What worked: A charming sense of Elizabeth Montgomery was born in Nichole Kidman and Farrell is Farrell always a treat to see. But he really didn't play Darren per say which was a real head scratchier for me.

What didn't work:

It was a twisted little waste of a tale I wanted to see the Darren /Samantha story updated and not just some grafted on witches as an afterthought. I mean when you have the title of an old classic to go by you want the old classic reinvigorated; not necessarily reinvented. They are not the same thing by a long shot. You can reinvent a concept but if you do you shouldn't use the original title as the name because that just implies that you will create a refreshed version of the old title that shares the same felling and sensibility of the original. Like the nostalgic feeling you get when you see a kid that has the same traits as the parent. But if that kid is so radical different from the parent you kind of always tilt your head and wonder how that kid got into that family.

So reinvent if that is your plan but change the title and do so up front like Stargate: Atlantis but like Battlestar Galactica you can radical reinvigorate a series a still not change the core concept or characters and still breathe new life into a franchise.

Fantastic Four

What worked: The core casting is what saved this picture they cast the team for talent and not necessarily look hence Alba and Evans being brother and sister when they don't even look like they come from the same races let alone parents. But because of the actual performances you really get a feel that they are in fact brother and sister based on the intensity and trivialness of their fights.

Reed Richards was almost there I think a second film will see the character grow into his own.
Alba as the Invisible Girl/Woman in her skin tight FF suit-can't find a picture but it was soda gagging, popcorn chocking amazing.
Chris Evans as Johnny Storm was spot on cocky and likeable at the same time you get a sense of the kid about him and the rouge with in him.
Michael Chiklis was born to play the Thing, he openly admits; and now that all of the supposition is out of the way a second movie will really show him cutting loose on the screen.

What didn't work:

Ben Grimm as the Thing could have used some forced perspective like The Lord of the Rings used on the Hobbits or Gandalf to make him taller and more Thing like in stature. Even though I had no problems with the costuming of the Thing, Chiklis is just naturally too short for them not to use that technique- maybe next time.

Race change of Alicia Masters really why? If you want black folk add them where appropriate not change core characters for no reason just to suit the “connivance” especially since Alicia is pivotal to the thing's acceptance of who and what he is. The Thing could have infused a little more rage and anguish into the situation, his core girl problem, all in all it was too easily resolved with an intro of a new girl.

The story was a little needy in the action reaction department and didn't really have a sense of immediacy that an adventure tale warrants too drive the story forward. I will give the FF the benefit of the doubt; since the Fantastic Four movie was an origin story and had a lot of exposition to get out of the way. Plus being one of the few that have actually seen the Roger Korman version of the tale I am saying for a fact that this was very palpable as opposed to that castor oil taste that the last FF film left me with.

So to keep it simple go and form your own opinion and pop back here and let me know what you think. Cause I could always be wrong... I doubt it but it could happen. LOL See ya'll later with the next batch of films. TDO