The real reason for the title...

I'll say it again, for all the shortcomings of New Zealand's free-to-air television, there is one thing they do very well, and that's show movies.  They don't just show them either, they generally show them complete and unedited, and that's terrific.  They air the content at age-appropriate times, and that's that.  It's grand.

Due to this, we caught Mission Impossible III the other day. The flick didn't get the best press and had some publicity and box office issues when it hit theaters.  The reason for this is that the marketing crew had the impossible mission of trying to sell this film against the backdrop of Tom Cruise in total insanity mode.  He got all mavericky with his persona and starting whooping it up on Oprah's couch, getting all crazy with his Scientology schtick, and insulting Matt Lauer to his face.  

Tom's a guy who has been served really well up until that point by keeping his inner nut case pretty well contained, and really, it's a shame he went to the zoo during promotion for this because it really was a fun and intense movie to watch.  Philip Seymour Hoffman was a terrific bad guy because hey, the guy's a really good actor.  Tom Cruise, as an actor, really can turn in some good performances, and I thought he did here, and the rest of the movie was a fun time.  So, if you enjoyed the first one when it came out, but avoided the third one due to press about Tom, give it a watch, I think you'll enjoy it.

Blockbuster, we hardly knew ye.

How the mighty have fallen.

As collateral damage of the financial meltdown, Blockbuster (who we hear is having financial difficulties in the U.S.) has additionally set the New Zealand branches adrift.

Whatever shall we do?  Wherever shall we rent?

Fear not!  In the case of New Zealand, this is a non-event, as Blockbuster here kinda sucked anyway.  They had all the selection of a Gas Station/Deli/Video Rental location.  We now go to a place called Civic Video, who, as part of their new customer experience tell you all about Blockbuster going under!

So what did they serve us up at Civic Video?

Iron Man, Horton Hears a Who, Oceans 11, The Last Mimzy, Evan Almighty, 300, & Kinky Boots.

Let's start with the lighter fare first, shall we...

Horton Hears a Who is a computer animated feature based on the Dr. Seuss book of the same name.  It has the voice talents of Jim Carrey and Steve Carell as a couple of the main characters and, drawing from the creaky depths of my memory, all the main plot points in the book are covered here.  As you may suspect if you haven't actually read this literary morsel, it's not particularly lengthy...certainly not something easily conducive to 86 minutes of movie.  The kids enjoyed it, and indeed there were adorable parts, and some pretty funny scenes, but also from an adult's perspective, there were some really kinda odd moments.  Some of the scenes were, in my opinion anyway, bordering on uncomfortable to watch.  I'm not really sure why exactly...just a bit of strangeness there I couldn't quite put my finger on.  So, if you have kids, give it a rent, if not, hey, it may or may not be your cup of tea.

The Last Mimzy was good, but be warned, it requires a nigh-unbelievable suspension of belief to watch.  Am I talking about the time travel aspects or the supernatural changes that occur with the main characters?  Hardly.  That part's easy.  The plot centers around two young siblings who find an interesting box on the beach which contains even more interesting items.  Throw in adults who can't comprehend any of it, and make this humanity's last chance to save itself, and all in all it's a pretty nifty story, and well told and acted to boot.  It's a good show for the whole family.  Now, more about crazy-insane suspension of belief...quick warning...a spoiler of sorts follows...the feds (who of course get involved in these sorts of things), after seeing some mucho-crazy-loco stuff go down, stuff involving super-advanced technology and portals to other times, these kooky federal agents just smile, give a quick chuckle and a wink, and head home, leaving the children to get on with their lives.  There are many flights of fancy that can be imagined.  To borrow some imaginative genius from South Park, I offer up for your consideration the 5-assed monkey.  And sure, that's within the realm of fantasy, but there's no way no how the government would walk away from anybody related to that kind of action.  I digress...

Evan Almighty is another story of a guy with good intentions and misaligned priorities who, through crazy circumstance, realizes what's really important in his life is, you guessed it, his family.  This story line is done a lot, and for good reason.  It's just a really relatable and earnest thing.  This is the sequel to Bruce Almighty, minus Jim Carrey, but retaining and starring Steve Carell.  Steve's a funny guy.  This film wasn't as funny as the first though.  Still, it was a good rental and a pretty funny film for the whole family.  This time around, Evan is tasked with building an ark for a coming flood.  Much divine hijinks ensues, hecklers and doubters abound, some serious and touching moments intermingle with the comedy, and of course everything works out according to God's master plan in the end.  

Iron Man rocked the house.  We expected action of course, but weren't really sure what to expect beyond that.  Again, we found a great movie for the whole family!  This flick didn't really have much in the way of harsh language to speak of.  This was something we didn't even realize until it was over and we were on to our second viewing.  It just doesn't need profanities and such. Nor did they go overboard with gratuitous violence.  There is indeed violence...we're talking weapons manufacturers and militant thugs after all...but not the extended slow-mo head-removing kind of violence.  The acting, dialog, and story telling were brilliantly done.  Robert Downey Jr. is the embodiment of main man Tony Stark, and we're looking forward to the sequels in a big way.  But on to what it's about.  Tony's a weapons designer.  Make that weapons designer savant.  He's an engineering marvel who creates really cool, really deadly stuff.  ("But wait, you said family movie," you gasp)  Tony is captured, where he learns the lethal reality of the business he's in.  It's a moment that alters his future for the better, and he becomes a force for good. (See?  Good moral, good family movie.)  He becomes Iron Man.  Of course he needs a villain (very ably cast and acted), and the result is a wonderfully enjoyable movie.  Definitely give this a viewing.

It took us forever to get around to renting Oceans 11.  I'm glad we didn't strain ourselves trying harder to watch it.  I found it mildly entertaining, in that "late movie on cable" kind of way, but frankly, I could take it or leave it.  The film is more about packing in the stars than being a great movie.  It just didn't strike any chords with me...I may or may not get around to renting the sequels.

The next film on the list, 300, has a little something for the guys and the gals.  For the guys, there are really manly displays of violence, ass kickings, blood, more violence, even more ass kickings, entire walls being built out of slain enemies, etc. etc.  For the ladies...well...the ass kicking guys do all of this stuff dressed in very, dare I say, spartan outfits (giggle snort).  There's enough beefcake on display for a Chippendale's convention.  There's some minor dessert fare for the guys with a couple of requisite boobie shots of exceedingly attractive women, but it's primarily main course, and primarily raw meat.  You want a manly flick?  These guys will give you a manly flick...and they'll rip your head off and cram it down your throat when they do it...all while sporting rippling six-packs!

Every bit as manly, but in more of a "secure with your heterosexuality" kind of way is Kinky Boots.  This movie falls right in there with Hot Fuzz in the "really good English movie" category.  It has great comedy, it has some really nice dramatic moments, and is supposed to be based on a true story as well.  It centers around a long-standing shoe factory (real, high quality shoes) that must embrace change or die.  They ultimately embrace change and give it a bit ole sassy hug! (oh snap!)  Inspiration comes when you least expect it, and it's so so important to look at people on the inside, rather than judge them on the outside.  Great story, great acting, give this a view sometime.

That raps up this batch of rentals.

Journey to the Center of the Theater

For our son's birthday, we played hooky and caught a matinee of Journey to the Center of the Earth.

First, I must say it's a thoroughly enjoyable experience to catch a movie at 11am on a weekday when it's toward the end of its run and you have pretty much the entire theater to yourself.

As the title and trailer suggest, the main characters (Brendan Frasier of The Mummy, and Josh Hutcherson of Zathura) manage to find themselves falling to the earth's core (or thereabouts) and arriving with nary a scratch on them.  Trust me when I say that's the BELIEVABLE part!  For bits of the rest of the movie, you need to not just suspend belief, but casually walk it out into the alley and put a couple bullets in it.

That said, if you can let your mind roam free, it was a lot of fun to watch!  Loads of action, unusual creatures, and strange plants are all there in abundance.