Movies in May

May 2009 was a great month for movies. While my Most Significant Other (MSO) and I didn’t see every new release, we did see some pretty good ones in Wolverine, Night at the Museum and Up.

Wolverine was a pretty good movie (particularly if you are a Hugh Jackman fan which the MSO is).  However, despite all the special effects (and there were some really great ones) and Hugh Jackman spending most of the movie shirtless (MSO’s eyes lit up often), there actually was a good story woven into this flick.

What? You don’t believe me? I’ll prove it. Watch this movie first…then watch X-Men (the first one). Want to know why Sabletooth grabbed Wolverine’s dog tags off the table in the first movie? It’s answered. Want to know why Wolverine doesn’t know his past? It’s answered. In other words, this movie answered some hard questions posed in the 2000 film and did so nicely in my opinion. This was an enjoyable film especially if you see X-Men after you see this one.

Night of the Museum (Battle of the Smithsonian) was a grand movie that the MSO enjoyed immensely. Now I confess that I didn’t see the first one in the theatre because 1) I’m not a Ben Stiller fan and 2) HBO is my friend.  However, there is a great teachable moment in this film when General Custer (Bill Hader) confides in Larry (Ben Stiller) that despite his successes (and he had many during the Civil War), he will always be known for his failure. This revelation was a point my MSO and I discussed after the film. Sometimes, your legacy will be the last thing you do as opposed to a lifetime of achievement.  I’m still not a Ben Stiller fan, but this film made me laugh. A lot.

Finally, go see Up. I’m not an emotional man, but I am a man who has been known to wear his emotions on his shirt sleeves. And I will tell you this: if you are married and don’t get emotionally involved with this movies in the first fifteen minutes, you’re not breathing.  This film grabs you around the throat and doesn’t let go until it ends. This movie is a love story about all kinds of love. It made me recall John Lennon’s quote, “Life is what happen to you while you’re busy making other plans.”  I like this movie and think you will too.  I cross my heart. 🙂 

 Until the next time,

Bill