Recent Viewings, 10-13-2006

Click
I am an Adam Sandler fan. I think he has a gift for understanding of the inner lives of the majority of regular, "salt of the earth" Americans - much like Frank Capra, Jimmy Stewart, Milton Berle, John Wayne, Jackie Gleason, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Carol Burnett, Johnny Carson, and Jerry Lewis.

Of course, this sets him up as a punching bag for critics, particularly those who sniff at anything that doesn't include glacial pacing and nude starlets.

But for those of us who face aggravating commutes, the corporate grind, and over-scheduled kids, he knows our fears and dreams and somehow manages to evoke them vividly and pungently. And he manages it without insulting anyone's intelligence.

Click is not a great film (like 50 First Dates is), but it is a good flick. As my wife pointed out, it's a bit flat and should've been funnier. But it's still plenty funny, imho.

It has been accused of being an update to It's a Wonderful Life with fart jokes, and it is if you consider Body Heat and update to Double Indemnity with a good dash of softcore. But if, like me, you appreciate the very different movies the "updates" are, then you'll probably enjoy Click.

Be warned though, it made my daughter, who's 10, cry because it deals pretty directly with the idea of the death of parents. (For the record, we covered her eyes for the two or three racy scenes.) So if you have children who are currently worried about you dying (and it is one of the most common fears children have), or if they're sensitive about such things, watch this when they're in bed.


X-Men: The Last Stand
Of course it's the "last" stand. [Innocent look.]

Sure. Garth Brooks is retired, too.

Anyway, this is pretty much like the other two. Very consistent (even though it has a different director than the first two). Watchable. Fun, if you like comic book movies.

But, it's a lot like a donut - enjoyable while it lasts, but soon forgotten once your body recovers from the sugar hit.

(I think one of the reasons X-Men doesn't do all that much for me is the built-in dues ex machina where any kind of superhero talent can and does surface for plot convenience. For instance, SPOILER ALERT this movie has a character whose power is that it nulls out any other mutant's powers END SPOILER ALERT. On my planet, only Bugs Bunny gets away with stuff like that.)

The last two Superman and Batman installments were better than this X-Men installment, but then it's been a pretty dry couple years for good movies overall, so if you want a decent popcorn movie, here ya go.