Journey to the Center of My Lack of Suspended Disbelief

It is sad what you will resort to watching when you are bored.  For instance, this weekend I found myself watching the recent production of Journey to the Center of the Earth.  In theory, all the necessary elements are there:  science-fiction – check; action/adventure – check; semi-respectable actor who could be believable in such a role – check; reasonably hot actress to co-star – check; script loosely based on a popular novel – check.  So what exactly didn’t I like about this movie?  Oh yeah – it sucked.

Granted, the only reason I started watching it was because I was up, bored, and recently enjoying HBO & Cinemax for free for 3 months (thank you FiOS!).  But in hindsight, unlocking a few more levels and extras in Lego Batman would have been a more enjoyable use of my time.   And yet as much as my summary review is that this movie was not even worth what I paid for it (time counts), I still found myself watching it to completion – which suggests there was something redeeming about it … somewhere.

I missed the intro due to timing of my channel surfing and came into it with Brendan Fraser and his nephew already introducing themselves to their near-future travel companion.  Luckily it was not hard to get up to speed.  The action was compelling, some of the humor was mildly witty, and the underground world was certainly a spectacle.  But I think what made this movie more pyrite than gold was that it was merely beyond belief.  Sure, I expect a certain level of hard-to-swallow in a sci-fi flick – it goes without saying.  But there are levels and costs and I think there should be a point system setup to pre-determine whether such a film will succeed.

For example, the latest Indiana Jones movie was not nearly the best in the series – quite possibly the worst.  But I personally was able to overlook a lot of its flaws due to the franchise to which it is associated (as were many other fans).  But I couldn’t  do the same for a film with no street cred.  The Matrix had no street cred, but was so compelling it almost pulled off a hat trick (then managed to trip and fall on its face).  Journey has a minute amount of cred due to the book association, but not enough to forgive the lack of a believeable plot.  An unknown world filled with unusual and long extinct creatures miles below the surface of the Earth – expected and acceptable.  Falling into/flying out of said realm at break-neck speeds and landing in a pool of water/hillside vineyard without, um, dying – not so likely.

Anyway, bottom line is that I need some new hobbies and to learn not to rubberneck when it comes to movies.  Besides, I’m sure there was something equally badly written with way more redeeming qualities at that hour on one of the Cinemax channels.  But sometimes curiosity can get the best of me – and you know what they say about that.

Senseless Acts of Apathy

As is probably evident to those who know me or read here often, I watch a lot of TV. And every year I must content with the fact that not all of the shows that I like end up getting carried forward. Sure, I will grumble and moan about these decisions, but usually I see the logic and take solace in some new material that fills the void. But today I was doing some research to see what changes I should anticipate, and I have to say that I’m not happy with what I’ve read. Read more “Senseless Acts of Apathy”

Dresden, Wizard

I stated previously that I may post reviews of The Dresden Files books here some time ago.  Since then, I’ve read four of them and just started the fifth.  So I’m thinking I should make good on my previously implied intent.  This, however, is not going to be that review.  I will collect my thoughts on each one and review them separately in due time. Read more “Dresden, Wizard”

Fringe Rough at the Edges

Tonight Fox premiered a new drama by the name of Fringe – this new show is helmed by J.J. Abrams and stars a cast of numerous unknowns with Joshua Jackson playing a bit of an unknown element in the middle of them.  The show came backed with a ton of critical acclaim and has been heralded as THE pilot of the season to watch.  So I watched it … but I’m not sure I am ready to commit to watching it next week as a result. Read more “Fringe Rough at the Edges”

The Cradle Didn’t Exactly Rock

I have never been a big reader, so you will not likely see many book reviews from me – but today will be an exception.  I’ve been reading a book off and on for almost a year now (I had trouble initially commiting to it).  Basically I’d heard the name Kurt Vonnegut thrown around here and there and wanted to find out what he was all about.  I had previously borrowed The Sirens of Titan from the library and, while I found the story intriguing, I couldn’t decide if I liked it.  So I decided to try one of his more “popular” works.  So I picked up Cat’s Cradle (I considered Slaughterhouse Five, but even if the title is not indicative, I didn’t want to chance it) and yesterday I finally finished it. Read more “The Cradle Didn’t Exactly Rock”