Bidi’s World

So last weekend we went to see “How to Eat Fried Worms” at the 99W drive-in. If the title sounds familiar that would be because it is based on the book by the same name. The first thing I noticed when we pulled in was how few cars had shown up for the movie. By the time the movie started playing the lot was still half empty. My assumption was that the film really isn’t doing so well.

Now let us put this into perspective though. “How to Eat Fried Worms” is a kids book. The movie is a kids movie. As adults it would be unfair of us to hold this film by the same standards we hold films destined for an adult market to like the “Matrix” or “Lord of the Rings“. As such I found the movie hard to get into at first. My adult mind had a hard time associating with the world the kids lived in. (This phenomena was touched on in the movie too by the way.)

Much to my surprise, somewhere between the beginning and the middle of the movie I did find my self immersed in the characters and their gross squishy plight. I really enjoyed the movie once I let myself get into it. This is a kids movie about kids stuff. Accept that and you’ll really have a blast with the movie.

If you had read the book you’ll be glad to know that the movie does a good job bringing forth the gross factor. The kids will love it if their into that sort of thing. I know mine did.

I don’t know if I’d recommend paying cinema prices to see it. I would however say that if you have kids that get a kick out of all that gross stuff kids like then find time to see this movie with them. While you could wait for it to come out on video there is nothing like going to a cinema to see an eight foot tall fried worm. The kids will love it.

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When going into a comedy like this my expectations change from what I would expect from an action or drama film. You just can’t be fair to the film if you use the same ruler you use to measure an action film. To that end, I used my comedy ruler when I watched this film.

Essentially the story is about a workaholic named Michael Newman played by Adam Sandler. Between work, family, and just trying to get two seconds of rest he finds his world spinning wildly out of control. He goes to buy a universal remote control so he can at least get his appliances in order only to meet Morty played by Christopher Walken. Morty gives him the universal remote to end all remote. A universal remote control that controls your universe. In classic comedy fashion, if it looks too good to be true then your world is about to fall apart, and it did.

As a comedy, “Click” didn’t disappoint. We had allot of chuckles starting from the very begging of the movie. This is exactly what I was hoping for going into it. I don’t think Adam was as strong as I’ve seen him in other films like “The Wedding Singer” but he wasn’t horrible either. The entire film had a slight surreal element about it which I think had allot to do with how he came off in the film.

Kate Beckinsale was quite good playing opposite Sandler as Donna Newman. I must admit that this was the first time I’ve seen her in anything other than an action film. Personally I loved her performance. Beyond being exceptionally cute, her attitude and charisma on the screen was enchanting.

The rest of the cast did a really good job as well. Just keep in mind this was a comedy and as such it was made to have fun. It’s not the deepest plot around but it did make me laugh allot and at times even provoke a little thought. It would be just as easy to wait for it to come out on DVD but I’m glad I didn’t.

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Superman really has returned in “Superman Returns”. I had a bunch of concerns going into this film based on the hype leading up to its release. It is always a brave move when you make a movie of something that has become such a staple in society. Last Saturday I got to see for myself.

You would be hard pressed to find a country or a generation that doesn’t know about Superman. Ask any child and they’ll tell you about the “Man of Steel”. Faster than a speeding bullet, can leap tall buildings in a single bound, etc.

Now combine Superman’s notoriety with Hollywood’s need to make a buck. The potential for disaster was paramount.

Here is the kicker. They pulled it off. The movie was awesome. Superman, played by Brandon Routh, came across exactly as he should. This was not limited to but included the troubled interest he always held in Lois Lane, played by Kate Bosworth. I had picked up some rumors concerning this prior to the movie where people were saying it was essentially a relationship movie. Not only do I not agree with this, I feel like the relationship between Superman and Lois is critical to any Superman story. In my personal opinion I think they delivered that perfectly.

Of course no Superman film would be complete without Lex Luthor, played by Kevin Spacey. Spacey did an incredible job as the brilliant but demented criminal mastermind.

All of the other key members of Superman’s life were there too. Jimmy Olsen (Sam Huntington), Martha Kent (Eva Marie Saint), and Perry White (Frank Langella) were all there performing their function as Superman’s support network. Overall the film did have a slightly darker tone than previous films but they didn’t make it so dark that you forgot you were watching a Superman movie.

I’m giving this movie a “Must See” as it is classic Superman at it’s best while at the same time makes full use of the Hollywood magic we’ve all come to know and love. Superman is most definitely back!!!

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We went to see Cars this weekend at the 99W drive-in. It was a beautiful evening so we pulled out the chairs and sat outside to watch it.

To be honest I could not have been more impressed with this movie. This is far and away one of their best movies yet in my opinion. The story is about a race car named Lightning McQueen who finds himself a little out of his element. He goes through an unscheduled bout of self discovery and makes a bunch of good friends along the way.

The story line was great. You find yourself warming up to the main characters almost instantly. This is in no small part due to the great voice over work by Owen Wilson (Lightning McQueen), Paul Newman (Doc Hudson), Bonnie Hunt (Sally Carrera), and Larry The Cable Guy (Mater) among many others. To add to the incredible voice talent was some stellar music. The final package was entertaining, funny, and moving (no pun intended). Everything you could want in a movie.

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