June recaps

Complete June list:

1. Duck Soup (1933)
2. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
3. North By Northwest (1959)
4. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
5. Penny Serenade (1941)
6. X2: X-Men United (2003)
7. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
8. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
9. Inside Man (2006)
10. The Family Stone (2005)
11. Derailed (2005)
12. Prime (2005)
13. Bee Season (2005)
14. Rumor Has It… (2005)
15. The Naked Gun (1988)
16. Children of a Lesser God (1986)
17. Moonstruck (1987)
18. Moulin Rouge (2001)
19. The Kid (1921)
20. The Out-of-Towners (1999)
21. The Money Pit (1986)
22. The Birdcage (1996)
23. Good Morning Vietnam (1987)
24. Superman Returns (2006)
25. The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Superman Returns

I’m not a fan of Superman. I think for a superhero he’s too ridiculously powerful, possessing all the powers that other superheroes don’t have. But before I get to that, there’s something more insistent that kept bugging me throughout watching this movie: how did Superman have sex with Lois Lane? Did he just strip out of his latex(?) outfit and get naked (without the glasses; even he can’t have sex comfortably with glasses on, can he?) just as a normal human does? It seems that way, no matter how silly I’m picturing it. So the next question is: how on earth doesn’t anyone (Lois Lane especially) recognize the guy she slept with as Clark Kent ?!?! Forget the clumsy vs. masculine issue (and the outdated curly hair thing), you can see the similarity from a mile away!

Now, aside from the preceding story I didn’t quite understand, and, of course, some display of distractingly impressive facial bone structures, I think the man of steel is a big showoff. Sure, he deserves applause for everything he does to humanity etc., but posing and waving happily at audience after he saves the day? That’s not what decent superhero usually does. Superheroes shy away from publication, don’t they? And the costume… Batman uses pads. Spiderman hides his face. But Superman? He bares it all, muscle and everything.

In most cases, I dislike the leading women in superhero tales. They steal the show, mostly by annoyingly screaming their lungs out, waiting to be saved and always being at the wrong time, at the wrong place, doing the wrong thing. Lois Lane is a good leading woman. She’s smart, she moved on after the jerk left without goodbye (Superman or not, he’s still a jerk), and didn’t jump at the sight of him. She also has the perfect guy, although unfortunately it’s played by James Marsden (I can’t stop forgetting a scene in X2 where N’Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye” starts blaring in Cyclops’ car).

I don’t get it why critics generally like this movie. The whole thing is just too much. Powers beyond extraordinary. Enemies too small a number and insignificant (couldn’t believe I saw Kumar playing Lex’s accomplice). Story too imaginative and too long. Can Superman himself be a little less super?

The actors are fine. With an actor like Brandon Routh to play Superman, tickets will sell easily to teenage girls. But my favorite is Lex Luthor. Kevin Spacey makes a great villain, a lunatic and a mean one, and I just love him. As for Eva Marie Saint, whom I saw earlier this month in North By Northwest, she surprised me. Gee, she’s that old! (I thought she was dead already.)

This movie is alright, if not so full of Brandon Routh (damn his pretty face!). I kinda like the opening credits: very outer-space, cheesy 70s movie-like. Music arrangement is okay since I’m not really into John Ottman’s style, but still got to appreciate John Williams’ original theme, though!

2/5.

The Birdcage

Whether you’re gay or not gay, The Birdcage will make you laugh. Call me cheap, but movies like this, one that exploits what some people might find offensive truly cracks me up. I couldn’t not like Nathan Lane. He and his excellent draq queen/woman impersonation. This movie is so gay that I think the inclusion of the straight son actually ruins the movie’s humor.

Armand and Albert Goldman are a gay couple who run a draq queen club in South Beach, Florida. Nathan Lane plays the hilarious woman/Albert part, while Robin Williams portrays the masculine Armand. Another gay fellow is brilliantly performed by Hank Azaria in the role of Agador… Spartacus (supposedly Guatemalan). Their colorfully entertaining life is about to be disrupted by a conservative senator’s family from up north, whose daughter is engaged to their son, Val. The senator, in a mission to save his political career by having his daughter married to Greece cultural attaché’s son (as he was informed), unknowingly brings with him a pair of National Inquirer reporters. Thus ensues the comedy of flamboyant gay partners vs. right-wing conservative pair in an artsy gay living quarters transformed into a classy South Beach home.

The ending is too abrupt, but for 2 hours and 3 minutes plus some classic disco songs, this is probably as close as I can get to get a taste of Florida South Beach.

3.5/5.