Weekend Viewing... And Listening

After a sojourn to the New England Air Museum,  I worked on hitting the gigantic pile of backlogged movies.  At least, that was Sunday, Monday was something different.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

John Carter – Possibly the Biggest Flop Ever (Photo credit: swanksalot)

First up Sunday was John Carter.  This movie has become a bit infamous as a major Disney failure.  And finally watching it, I can see why it had so many problems.  First off was the title.  Though accurate, it is terribly bland.  Granted, Princess of Mars would not have been all that descriptive either, but at least an audience would have had a better idea what the movie was about.  Even something like John Carter and the Princess of Mars would have been better than just John Carter.

But, the problems with the movie go beyond that.  The acting is a bit bland.  Taylor Kitsch just does not feel like he should be John Carter, just as he was miscast as Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  The movie just felt like it should have been made by a studio other than Disney.

coraline movie (Photo credit: joanneteh_32(loving Laduree))

Thankfully, Sunday’s second feature, Coraline, was so much better.  Stop motion animation is the perfect medium for a story so beautifully twisted.  I kept getting sucked into the world Coraline was exploring, both the new home she finds herself in, and the alternate reality that seems so much better, yet so much scarier, than the one she finds herself in.  The version of the DVD I had both 2D and 3D versions on it.  Though most times I am not a great fan of 3D, I would actually watch this one in 3D.

Courtesy: audiobooksonline.com

Monday, I indulged in a bit of old-time entertainment with a modern spin.  Superman Lives is an audio drama made by the BBC and based on the Death of Superman/Reign of Supermen story line.  The story is extended to include Superman’s engagement to Lois Lane, the death of Lex Luthor, and the appearance of Lex Luthor II, catching those who are not regular readers of the comics.  But after that, everything falls into place, from the rampage of Doomsday, the fall of the Justice League, and the fall of Superman, and the rise of the four who would claim the name of Superman.

Like the radio dramas of the past, the adapted script doesn’t club the audience with the obvious, so there’s none of the tacky, “Hey, look, that helicopter is in trouble!  I’ll just fly up and… catch it!”  The sound effects are used effectively to augment the script.  The acting is perfect for the story, and what acting can’t convey, special effects complete, particularly the metallic voice of the cyborg Superman, and the deep rumbling of Mongul.

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