Hard to believe we're halfway through June. I must have entered that stage in life when time starts moving a lot faster...
About a month ago I remember being really excited about the summer's movie prospects. There were at least a good half dozen movies that looked like solid prospects. Plus, in the middle of May sweeps and the NBA playoffs, there was plenty to watch on TV. A good time to be alive, I guess, if you're the type that prefers to live life in front of the big screen.
Well, now we're 2-4 games from the end of the NBA season, half of the big movies have come out, and "Lost" and "24" are both finished for the year. And what have I discovered?
1. "Lost" may yet dodge the X-Files curse.
2. Someone else completely out-did my "Bauer Body Count Jack-O-Meter", and I couldn't be happier about it.
3. When I read an ESPN.com story on a playoff game I missed, it was a classic nail-biter. When I sit down to watch one live myself (or TiVo one and watch it at 1am, like I did with Lakers-Suns game 7), it is an uninspired blowout.
4. Not only am I not turned off to Tom Cruise's work because he is crazy, I think I actually like it more now. At least I really liked "MI:3"...all three times I've seen it so far.
5. The reviews for "Poseidon" sounded like the remake was weaker than the original I didn't really like when I rented it two months ago, so I didn't see it.
6. The reviews for "DaVinci Code" were horrible, but since I finally got around to reading the book--and pretty much enjoyed it--I'll probably still go see it.
7. The reviews for "X-Men:3" were pretty bad, too, but I went and saw it anyway--and really enjoyed it. Short a few--OK, maybe a number of--bad lines, it was just fine, and a lot less preachy than it could have been. I even found it to be pretty evenhanded, actually.
So what's next? "Nacho Libre" comes out tomorrow, but I'm going rafting this weekend, so I won't see it for a little while at least. "Pirates of the Carribbean:2" looks better than I thought it would be, and if I get confirmation of a Keith Richards cameo, I might give it a chance.
And that leaves "Superman". Now, anyone who has read any of my past blogs/columns or had any extensive conversations with me knows that I have a soft spot in my heart for the first two Christopher Reeve movies. I'm not going to pin a judgement on the new one, and I'm completely open to it being a great movie--especially since word has it this edition is supposed to fall into place after the second movie, thus helping all the children of the 70's and 80's forget about that whole Richard Pryor thing--but as I watch the previews...I'm not impressed. It just feels wrong to have anyone but Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, with all due respect to Kevin Spacey.
With all that in mind, maybe I should work on finding a different way of enjoying my summer months. Maybe a river trip...
