Capsun's Corner – by Capsun M. Poe

Sorry this post is so late today.  I was having technical difficulties with the images.  I would have just deleted them if I hadn’t already spent an hour trying to get them just right.

I know this title doesn’t quite fit into what I normally write about (Hawaii, tech, and politics), but I did watch all of these movies in a movie theater in Hawaii.  I know that’s stretching it, but it’s my blog, right?

For me, the sign of a good movie is one you continue to talk or think about well after watching it. All of these movies meet that criterion.  I regret that I didn’t watch any independent films this year and thus none appear on this list (hey, I was finishing my Master’s degree).  So without further ado, here are the movies:

Best Movie of 2008:  WALL-E.

With the voices of Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, and Sigourney Weaver.

This movie was just so good!  You just have to watch it.  I can’t say anything more than the following review.

From http://pomovies.blogspot.com:

I had to pee throughout this movie, but I still enjoyed it.  That’s saying a lot.  Wall-E was one of the cutest movies EVER!  It’s funny how this love story was more moving to me than almost any other, including non-animated films.  Great graphics and I would argue even better sound affects made Wall-E one of my new favorite animated films.

Overall, Wall-E was a touching movie and the best film of 2008 so far.  I hope everyone gets a chance to experience this wonderful story about the transformational power of love.

Best Drama:  The Dark Knight.

Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, and Michael Caine.

This movie was so good, it harkens back to the original Batman movie with Michael Keaton.  Ledger is uncanny as The Joker and out-Jack Nicholson’s Jack Nicholson’s performance from the original.  And I loved Nicholson as The Joker!

From http://pomovies.blogspot.com:

Dark Knight is the unforgettable, frightening thriller of the year.  Dark, complex and unnerving, this latest Batman movie will make you realize that all those that came before it were just attempts to capture the real essence of darkness that Dark Knight nailed.

Best Animated Film:  Kung Fu Panda.

With the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, and Michael Clark Duncan.

I really didn’t think I’d like this movie and went mostly because it was the first free weekend I had in a while.  I was pleasantly surprised at how much I thoroughly enjoyed it.

From http://pomovies.blogspot.com:

Move over Pixar and take Nemo with you because DreamWorks has just put out the next great masterpiece of digital animation.  The artwork in Kung Fu Panda was even better than my dream of being in China with Mulan.  From start to finish the detail and richness of the animation was incredible.  Truly a visual delight.  At one point you can see leaves shimmering in the sunlight and the work that must have went into small details like that is hard to imagine.  The last time I fell in love with graphics like this was Shrek, however, Kung Fu Panda takes animation to whole new level.  Pixar has a lot of work to do if it wants to catch up.

Best Chick Flick:  Twilight.

Starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.

I really liked this movie and can’t wait for the sequel to come out.

I’m always game for a nice vampire movie, so that’s why I went to see this.  But I also have a friend who read the entire series in book, so she spoke highly of it.  This is apparently the series that is taking over the void filled by the end of the Harry Potter series.  I might actually read this series; the first chapter of the first book was fine.  Unlike the Potter books, which I always found boring.  I would have seen it on opening weekend, except for all the screaming teenage girls who were expected to see it – and did!  The movie was good, but it wasn’t that good to brave those kinds of crowds.

And this is why I call it a “chick flick” instead of a teen movie:

After hearing about “Twilight” from various chat friends (all teen girls who are in love with the male protagonist character Edward Cullen), I thought it sounded like something Connie told me a while ago.  She was saying that the character Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is like the perfect man.  Like charming and gentlemanly and everything, but that the character had to be written by a woman, because that would be a woman’s definition of a perfect man. Like a guy would never create a character like Mr. Darcy.

So when Alysa was describing “Twilight”, the first thing I asked was if it was written by a woman, and she said yes.  I thought that was amusing.

Best Comedy:  Get Smart.

Starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Alan Arkin.

While the big screen version was not as good as the original series, it was nice to see the Cone of Silence updated for a tech-savvy audience.  For those of you who didn’t watch the series, the cone never works.  Steve Carell may well have done as good a job as Don Adams did portraying Maxwell Smart.  But I feel I could relate to Carell’s character, but that might be a function of its updated-ness.

Best Romantic Comedy:  Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Starring Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Russell Brand.

The sad story of a second-fiddle guy who comes to Hawaii to get away from the famous girlfriend who just dumped him.  Except she happens to be in the same hotel.  Chaos and laughs ensue.

It was even shot in Hawaii!  And we’ve got to support movies that support our economy.

Best Dark Comedy:  Burn After Reading.

Starring an all-star cast:  George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, and Brad Pitt.

It’s not your typical spy thriller, but it’s got all the elements of one, just reinterpreted in a comedic light.  Just imagine watching one of those thrillers and have everything go wrong.  It’s like Harry Crumb meets Mike Hammer.

Best Nostalgia Film:  Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Starring Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, and Jim Broadbent.  Directed by Steven Spielberg.  Written by George Lucas.

I had been anticipating this film for months.  It’s definitely good for old times’ sake, but I think the franchise is pretty much done after this one.  It really didn’t live up to the hype, but it was nice to let Indiana Jones ride once again into the sunset.

By the way, if you notice lots of links to http://pomovies.blogspot.com, it’s because I’m trying to get him to resume his movie reviews.  I’ve even offered him a guest spot on Capsun’s Corner, but he declined.  And he writes far better reviews than I.

Mahalo!

Tags: burn after reading, dark knight, get smart, indiana jones, kung fu panda, movies, sarah marshall, wall-e