Nothing says family togetherness like going to the movies over holiday weekends. I kicked off the past weekend with a bang by going to see Hitman.

Hitman is about orphans who are trained to be assassins. The hero, Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant, Live Free or Die Hard), is one of those orphans who finds himself being hunted by ‘the organization’. Agent 47 befriends a target (Olga Kurylenko) in order to stop whoever is trying to kill him.

After seeing the trailer for Hitman, I really wanted to see it. I wasn’t aware that it was a movie based off a video game until after my friends informed me. With that knowledge, I was a little weary of spending the money to see it. I have seen video game movies before and they always seem to fall short of my expectations. Hitman seems to work well as a movie. It has a decent plot and reminded me of a cross between The Saint and the Bourne trilogy.

Overall, it was a fun movie to go see. The fight scenes were well choreographed and the dialogue wasn’t overly hokey. I also really enjoyed the musical score. It was like another character in the movie. I could see this movie branching into a franchise, but don’t know how far they could take it. I wouldn’t recommend taking young kids to it. It’s pretty violent and there is some nudity as well.

With it being a particularly long weekend, I also went to see Enchanted. With the exception of the Pixar franchise, I have felt that Disney movies have been falling flat since Tarzan in 1999. Enchanted intrigued me because it was a new concept and approach by Disney.

Enchanted begins in the fairy tale world (aka, animated world) where a young maiden, Giselle (Amy Adams, Talledega Nights) falls in love with Prince Edward (James Marsden, X-Men). They begin to plan ‘happily ever after’ when Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon), Prince Edward’s stepmother tricks Giselle into going into the real world. Lost and confused, Giselle befriends a little girl, Morgan, and her father, Robert (Patrick Dempsey) who offer to help Giselle.

I thought that this would be a lame attempt by Disney to revive a dying franchise, but Enchanted exceeded my expectations. It was a cute movie that made me feel like a little kid again. I was on the edge of my seat rooting for the good guys and was impressed with the story. Disney brought back the talents of Alan Menken (composer, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast) and Stephan Schwartz (lyricist, Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame) for the film’s score, which is a standout in the Disney repertoire. Enchanted is good for the whole family. I would suggest it if you are young, or just young at heart.

The holidays are upon us and so is the holiday movie season. The coming weeks bring us the new Disney release Enchanted, Tim Burton’s take on Sweeney Todd and Will Smith’s newest film, I am Legend. With this in mind, I ventured out to see Beowulf, which I have eagerly been awaiting.

Beowulf is a classic hero’s tale complete with bloody battles and witty banter. For those who aren’t aware, the story comes from an Old English epic poem by an anonymous author. It was written around 1000 A.D. and is one of the oldest known writings in existence. In the story, Beowulf, a Geat, comes to assist the Danes with a troublesome monster, Grendel. Beowulf is known across the land for his heroic deeds and boasts that he will be able to rid the Danes of the monster with no problems.

For the most part, the big screen adaptation stayed true to the original form. Screenwriter, Neil Gaiman (author, Sandman) did an excellent job of interpreting the story and keeping the heroic aspects and themes intact. As with most adaptations, there were some liberties taken that steer the plot in a slightly different direction, but I didn’t perceive it being obvious or taking anything away from the original story.
Directed by Robert Zemekis (Cast Away), Beowulf is not a live action movie. It is a computer generated film based off of a process called motion capture. Motion capture involves filming cast members as they perform their lines on a motion capture stage and then altering their likenesses afterwards. Zemekis used a similar technique for The Polar Express.

When I first heard that Beowulf was going to be released, I was excited to see it brought to the big screen. When I found out that it was a motion captured film, I was slightly disappointed. To me, motion capture is distracting. I think I would have paid a lot more attention to the story and become lost in the film, if it had been live action. I felt the same way when I saw Polar Express. I found it was very hard to get involved in the story when I was distracted by the film technique. I have always felt that good visual effects shouldn’t be seen at all. The fact that I noticed that I wasn’t watching live action is an indication that the technique hasn’t been perfected.

All of that being said, I actually do recommend this movie. In fact, I would suggest, that you see it in 3D rather then the regular theater. I saw it in the regular showing and I feel like I missed some of the film experience. This movie was made to be seen in 3D. It has a classic story and it is visually breath taking. While I don’t prefer, motion capture to live action, I am in awe of how far that field in filmmaking has come and look forward to the future films that use the technique. I would caution those who want to take their children to it. It is rated PG-13 due mostly to violence and nudity. It is not intended for small children.

With Halloween only being a couple of weeks away, I was in the mood for a horror/thriller movie. Having already seen the Halloween remake, I decided to check out 30 Days of Night. The movie is set in the small town of Barrow, Alaska, the northern most town in the North American mainland. Thirty days out of the year, this town is plunged into darkness while the sun rests beneath the horizon line creating the perfect playground for vampires. The film tells the story of the citizens in the town trying to survive the blackout period while vampires invade the town.

I went into this picture thinking it was going to end up feeling like a typical B horror movie. I was pleasantly surprised to find it had a decent plot. The story is adapted from a series of comic books written by Steve Niles, though it’s a very loose adaptation. Prior to seeing the movie, I had not done much research on it, but seeing it made me want to look into the original source. I looked up the plot synopsis online and it seems like they changed quite a bit for the sake of the big screen.

Josh Harnett (The Black Dahlia, Sin City) leads the cast as the sheriff of Barrow, Eben Oleson. The acting in the movie was actually pretty good. There were several moments of shear panic and terror for the characters, which made them act out irrationally, as I would expect people in that situation would. Other than Harnett, the cast is mostly composed of unknowns. His leading lady, Melissa George (Derailed, The Amityville Horror), has played many secondary roles in several television shows, but I haven’t heard much about her on the silver screen.

Even though there were moments when I jumped a little in my seat, the film is definitely more dramatic than scary. I would classify 30 Days of Night movie into the horror sub-genre of ‘monster movie’. Its main purpose isn’t to scare, but to educate you about the conflict between a monster or monsters and the humans that are in their way. The general feel of the picture reminded me of 28 Days Later and there were several little touches that endeared this film to me. The filmmakers paid homage to several classic horror films including Nosferatu and the first, but unauthorized, adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

I would say that it is worth seeing especially for the monster movie buffs, but wait for the rental.

photo courtesy of Sony Pictures.

Has anyone been to a movie since Showplace Cinemas put in their new digital cinema screens? I usually head out to the west side to go to the movies because I think it’s a better experience, but I’m willing to trade allegiance if the picture quality with the new screens is as good as advertised.

Advertising claims that DLP digital projectors are supposed to offer a far more clear and detailed picture than classic film projectors, which I don’t doubt. Is it as big of a jump as going from standard definition television to HD though?

Speaking of movies, The Game Plan was the #1 movie in America. I wasn’t aware The Rock had that much pulling power. The last decent movie I saw him in was Be Cool.

The weekend is here, so let’s take a look at what’s happening in town over the next few days.

Friday

• The Carnivale Masquerade party is taking place at Kirby’s at 7PM. Admission is $50 and goes to benefit Funk In The City.
• 1123 has a show tonight featuring Run Kid Run & Slick Nicolas at 7PM.
• Wired has a show with Junior Revolution, Red Letter Reason & Redeemed at 7PM.
• Mock Orange & The Band Apart are playing at Boney June’s at 8PM.
• There is a performance of King o’ the Moon at the Evansville Civic Theatre tonight at 8PM.
• Bob Ballard is playing at Quarter Note at 8PM.
• Alhmabra Theater’s Friday Film is at 9PM in front of the old theater.
• Gonzo’s Toybox is at Fast Eddy’s at 10PM.
• Andy Norvell is at Fox & Hound at 10PM.
• Six Hills Giant is at Woody’s at 10PM.
• Nocturnal is at Cecil’s at 10PM.

Saturday

• The Funk In The Cityart festival is from 10AM to 5PM in the art disctrict. Admission is $5 and goes to benefit Funk In The City.
• There is a performance of King o’ the Moon at the Evansville Civic Theatre tonight at 8PM.
• Bob Ballard is playing at Quarter Note at 8PM.
• Ryan Gibbons is at Ri-Ra at 8:30PM.
• Uno Yoko is at Time Out Lounge at 9PM.
• The John Hussman Trio is at Chilly Willy’s at 10PM.
• Mock Orange & The Band Apart are playing at The Duck Inn at 10PM.
• Gonzo’s Toybox is at Fast Eddy’s at 10PM.
• Andy Norvell is at Fox & Hound at 10PM.
• Pop Tart Monkeys is at Woody’s at 10PM.
• Nocturnal is at Cecil’s at 10PM.

Movies

• Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron star in In The Valley Of Elah.
• Jamie Fox & Jennifer Garner in The Kingdom.
• The Rock’s career spirals even further downhill as he stars in The Game Plan.
• Morgan Freeman & Greg Kinnear in Feast of Love.

Back in May I had an open thread asking what summer movies people were most looking forward to. Now that the summer movie season is essentially passed, let’s reflect.

What was the best movie you saw this summer? Was it something you thought was going to be great? What was the biggest flop in your opinion? Going into the fall, what movie are you most looking forward to seeing?

Personally, my favorite blockbuster film of the summer was Die Hard. Cool stunts and a fun way to spend 2 hours.

Looking for something to do? Here’s a few suggestions.

Friday

• The Otters take the field at 7:05PM.
• Nathan Mowery is at Ri-Ra at 8PM.
• Sons of Sisters are at Lamasco at 8:30PM.
• Honey Roy is at Deerhead at 9PM.
• Nocturnal is at Cecil’s at 10PM.
• Stompbox 40 is playing at Fast Eddy’s at 10PM.
• Andy Norvell is at Fox & Hound starting at 10PM.
• Bosko is at The Little Cheers at 10:30PM.

Saturday

• The Grill for the Thrill event takes place all day at Roberts Stadium.
• Minutes To Midnight and We The Living are at Wired at 7PM.
• The Otters take the field at 7:05PM.
• Dierks Bentley is at Roberts Stadium at 7:30PM.
• Ryan Gibbens is playing at Ri-Ra at 8PM.
• The Jimmies are playing at Club Royale at 9PM.
• Bosko is at Club Baja at 10PM.
• Stompbox 40 is playing at Fast Eddy’s at 10PM.
• Six Hills Giant is at Woodys at 10PM.
• Deliver Us From Evil is at Lanhucks at 10:30PM.

*

Movies

Opening this weekend…

• Rush Hour 3. zzZzzzzZ
• Robert DeNiro stars in Stardust.
• Cuba Gooding Jr continues his fall with Daddy Day Camp.
• Skinwalkers

Friday

• Ri-Ra has live music with Nathan Mowery from 8 to 10PM.
• Troy Miller is playing at Lamasco starting at 8:30PM.
• Larry Neale, Kristi, and Sam the Man are playing at Club Royale at 9PM.
• Andy Norvell is playing at Fox & Hound starting at 10PM.
• Nocturnal is playing at Cecil’s at 10PM.
• Six Hills Giant plays at Club Baja at 10PM.
• The Tunestones are at Crawdaddy’s at 10PM.
• Gonzo’s Toybox is at Fast Eddy’s at 10PM.
• Bosko is playing at Little Cheers at 10:30PM.

Saturday

• The annual Ducks on the Ohio Goodwill benefit is down at Dress Plaza today at 2PM. Buy your duck for $5.
• There’s an ice cream social from 4PM to 7:30PM at the West Side Christian Church.
• Carl Rodenberg is playing at Tommie’s Place at 7PM.
• Ryan Gibbens is playing at Ri-Ra from 8PM to 10PM.
• Hoosier Daddy is playing at Club Royale starting at 9PM.
• Nocturnal is playing at Cecil’s at 10PM.
• Six Hills Giant plays at Club Baja at 10PM.
• Nashville’s Old Union is in town to play at the Duck Inn at 10PM.
• Gonzo’s Toybox is at Fast Eddy’s at 10PM.
• Bosko is playing at Ri-Ra a 10:30PM.

Movies

Opening this week:

• My pick of the week: The Bourne Ultimatum
• If your looking for your teen, they probably went to see Bratz
• J-Lo and M-Ant in El Cantante
• That stunt movie Hot Rod
• Underdog: a live action version of the cartoon.
• Anne Hathaway in Becoming Jane

photo courtesy of Old Union.

Here’s what’s going on this weekend.

Friday

• The Warrick County summer musical Copacabana has a showing tonight at 7:30PM at Castle High.
• Club Baja has Crash, a Dave Matthews tribute band at 10PM.
• Never Been Caught is at Fast Eddy’s at 10PM.
• Andy Norvell is at Fox & Hound at 10PM.
• Gonzo’s Toybox is at Woody’s at 10PM.

Saturday

• The Warrick County summer musical Copacabana has a showing tonight at 7:30PM at Castle High.
• Anywhere But Here is at Club Baja at 10PM.
• The Tunestones are at Crawdaddy’s at 10PM.
• Pieces of the Day is at O’Brian’s at 10PM.
• Gonzo’s Toybox is at Woody’s at 10PM.

Movies

New in theaters this week:

• The remake of Hairspray. It just looks awful to me.
• Adam Sandler’s I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. It looks equally as awful.

photo courtesy of Crash

Sorry I missed out on Friday evening’s activities, but I will make it up to you by listing some stuff happening on Sunday. Fair?

Saturday

• Today from 9AM to 3PM it’s Bowl For The Cure at Willow Lanes. The event is to raise money for a cure for breast cancer.
• There is live music on the back lawn of the Evansville Museum from 6PM to 8PM.
• The Evansville Bluecats are wrapping up their season at 7:05PM at Roberts Stadium. They play the Bloomington Extreme.
• The EVSC presents their summer musical, 42nd Street, at The Centre starting at 7:30PM.
• Bosko is at Club Baja starting at 10PM.
• Gonzo’s Toybox is playing Fast Eddy’s starting at 10PM.
• BSR is in town to play O’Brians starting at 10PM.

Sunday

• Family Fun Day runs from 10AM to 3PM at Mesker Park Zoo.
• The EVSC summer musical, 42nd Street, has a matinee at 2PM at The Centre.
• Hanover Fist is playing Smitty’s at 6PM.
• Hinder, Papa Roach, Buckcherry and The Exies are performing at Roberts Stadium starting at 7PM.
• It’s punk rock night at Lanhucks starting at 8PM.
• Club Baja has Lindsey Williams at 9PM.

Movies

New in theaters this weekend:

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
• Elisha Cuthbert’s Captivity

photo courtesy of Spin