Movies I've seen recently...
Superman II (1980) B+
When I was a young boy, the theatrical release of "Superman II" by Richard Lester was probably my most favorite Superhero movie ever. Re-watching it again, I still feel that magic. Unfortunately, with age, I noticed that there is quite a bit of campiness and illogical occurances that I wouldn't tolerate if this movie was released these days. The saving grace that makes me still find "Superman II" entertaining is the overal story and the cast. Watching Superman fight three evil Kryptonians is still quite the guilty pleasure to watch, and the whole relationship between Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder is still a joy. Still a fun comic-book movie, can't deny that.
Superman II : The Richard Donner cut (2006) B
I'm not going to go into detail on what happened between the original Superman movie director that is Richard Donner and what ended up being the theatrical cut of "Superman II" by Richard Lester (wikipedia here), but it bears to mention that there is an overall difference in how the two cuts ended up. First thing that needs to be said is that while this is technically the final Richard Donner cut, the movie is still not finished due to the fact that he was literally unable to finish shooting all the footage that needed to be shot. Due to the unfinished nature, the movie editing and pacing feels very much off. However the overall feel of the movie is very much like the first Superman movie, a little serious with a subtle somber sense overall. Some campiness and illogical occurances are still present though, and the ending here isn't exactly to my liking. Christopher Reeve however does get to show more acting in a more emotionally serious Superman here, that adds additional depth to the character. But the biggest positive is the return of Marlon Brando to the movie, which completely validates the existence of "Superman II : Richard Donner cut."
The Lake House (2006) C+
Being a guy, I admit that "the Lake House" is absolutely a "chick flick." However that doesn't necessarily make the movie bad. The story itself is a rather fascinating concept in how Keanu Reeves gets to communicate with Sandra Bullock, two years apart from each other, using the mail box by the Lake House. However, there are huge illogical plot holes in how it works. The movie doesn't seem to even bother explaining certain things, and we are just suppose to take them with a suspension of disbelief. Still, it's a rather sweet story, the visuals are really nice, and the way the voice overs of the letters work was excellently done.
American Pie Presents : The Naked Mile (2006) C
After "Band Camp," it seems that we are going to get annual video releases of the American Pie brand on teenage sex comedies. If you are a fan of teenage sex comedies, you must already know that the genre is full of cliches, cheap sex humor, sight gags, and some love story to ground things. Once in a while you get one that is executed so well, with very memorable scenes, that it doesn't matter if it was all just "dumb fun." Sadly, I will have to say that "The Naked Mile" does not add anymore to the genre than what has already been seen before. Sure there are some moments worth experiencing, but for the most part, this is simply a throwaway movie that does not necessarily need to be seen by many. For the fans though, it bears to mention this is the first introduction of a nicer Stifler, that is more a "Jim" type from the first movies.
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