New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

David Mumpower: The Kung Fu Panda 2 commercial failed to distinguish it from the original, which is intentional but a bit worrisome. More of the same is rarely enough for a sequel, even if Kung Fu Panda is an adorable premise. And the Transformers sequel merits absolutely no conversation based on the failed quality of its predecessor. I look forward to more leg humping from the worst major director in Hollywood.

Conversely, Fast Five recreated the triumph of Fast and Furious by including a breathtaking stunt at the end that encapsulates what consumers want from the franchise. Plus, they made the correct decision to focus upon the outsider perspective of The Rock in evaluating the returning players. The Rock chasing Vin Diesel is going to make people want to watch this; I expect Fast Five to be massive.

The Cowboys & Aliens trailer is too trippy for me, but I’m willing to give Jon Favreau the benefit of the doubt. Man, Harrison Ford looks old, though. James Garner is 82 years old and I still think he’d take Ford in a fight. I was surprised by the Super 8 commercial in that the spot was supposed to remind me of E.T. yet I found myself considering the huge disappointment, batteries not included, instead. J.J. Abrams is a filmmaker I trust and his interviews thus far indicate he thinks he has knocked this one out of the park but that ad in no way shows me the movie he has seen from the dailies.

With regards to the two major Marvel superhero movies, I maintain significant concerns about Thor as a standalone movie, even as I enjoy the juxtaposition of him being an Oklahoma doctor and a Norse deity. It doesn’t help any that any time I see Australian actor Chris Hemsworth talk, I cannot understand a word he says. I know that we have a lot of Australian writers as well as an Australian staff member, so I want to stress that I’m not speaking about the accent in general, just his. It’s thick…and I’m Tennessean. I know all about those. Captain America is the title I am sure will perform solidly if for no other reason than the fact that this character is extraordinarily popular with military personnel. The reverence shown to Cappy’s Shield is enough to build a blockbuster around. The commercial is a bit paint by numbers, but this the rare instance where that is appropriate for non-comic book readers/videogame players.

And I’m just happy to see Captain Jack Sparrow again.

Kim Hollis: I guess I'm the only person who gets a serious Wild Wild West vibe from Cowboys vs. Aliens. I kept looking for the giant spider. I think Thor looks more interesting than Captain America, although I can't explain why. Kung Fu Panda 2 is cute as heck, but I was sold before I ever saw a trailer. I haven't seen a Fast and the Furious movie since the first one, but this one looked kind of fun.

And Ian McShane as Blackbeard in Pirates 4? That's all you had to show me, thanks.

Continued:       1       2       3       4