Movie Mondays Triple Play!

This weekend was a three movie weekend! We watched two at home, Semi-Pro and Tristan and Isolde, and we saw Get Smart in theaters. So, what did I think? And, do you even care? You know you do!

Tristan and Isolde
Another movie for Mrs Titan, gosh, I'm good to her. I was led to understand that this was a romance set in the Dark Ages of England. How romantic! It wasn't quite the romance the wife was hoping for, unfortunately, but it did have some things for guys, and wasn't all that bad. There were beheadings and fighting and warfare and all the fun stuff guys can expect from historic epics. The romance was not as prominent as I was expecting, and there were some fun twists.

There were a couple of small problems that I didn't care for too much. First, I didn't think James Franco was all that good as Tristan. You know I hate to criticise one of my favorite Freaks Daniel Desario, but I just thought that this role did not suit him at all. He does not seen like a Brit and it was hard to believe him in the role. Although, I will admit I was waiting for him to screw up the accent, but he did an admirable job with it. Finally, and this is a personal problem of mine, there were numerous historical errors. I've been trying to ignore these in movies, but they still pull me away from the film every time. All in all, this was a pretty decent film, better than I was expecting.

Lesson: Sometimes a stoner is not the best actor to play a great historic legend.

Semi-Pro
I have loved Will Ferrell since he was first on SNL, so I always look forward to a new Ferrell Flick. Unfortunately, I am not always impressed with his films. Semi-Pro is a different kind of beast. It felt much more like a sports movie than a comedy. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Also, I wouldn't say this isn't a comedy. There were a few times where I did laugh out loud.

Semi-Pro is all about Jackie Moon, the owner/coach/star of the Flint Tropics, a basketball team playing for the failing American Basketball Association. The league is set to merge with the NBA, but only the top four teams in the league can go. Moon is the constant promoter. He doesn't care how his team plays, he just wants them to have fun. However, with the looming merge, he doesn't want the fun to end, so he has to make his team into a powerhouse. Now, as it turns out, the ABA was real and this was almost a real situation (no Flint Tropics and the teams to join the NBA were chosen based on business reasons, duh).

The movie was fun, I thought Will was back to being a slightly more realistic character, with motivations and proclivities that make sense. However, I think I like Will best when he's not realistic, like in Elf, Anchorman, and Talladega Nights. Well, I liked Stranger Than Fiction a lot too, and he was a realistic character in that movie, so maybe there is a fine line for Will and he was just barely over to the unrealistic side with this one. Fun film, but not great.

Lesson: Sometimes it doesn't matter how well you play the game, you still can't win.

Get Smart
We went to see the new remake of Get Smart, the 1965-70 TV show created by Mel Brook and Buck Henry and starring Don Adams and Barbara Feldon. We really wanted to see this movie in theaters for two reasons: Steve Carell and the original Get Smart series. I grew up in the late '80s and '90s, so I was lucky enough to be able to catch the original series on Nick at Night. I loved the show and watched it every time it was on. It was one of my favorites right along side F Troop, Green Acres, and Mr Ed. It'll be no surprise when I tell you that I was very excited when I heard the Steve Carell would be starring in the remake.

The movie was surprisingly good. I know that I said I was excited, but I didn't think it would be as good as it was. Steve Carell is fantastic as Maxwell Smart. He is a great at physical comedy and even better when sparring verbally with those around him. He begins the movie as an analyst for CONTROL until all of the other agents are compromised when he gets promoted to agent. He must work with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) to stop KAOS. There is obvious friction as Agent 99 has experience and Maxwell does not. However, of course, his skills come in handy. The movie is non-stop fun and is full of thrills and comedy.

I was very pleased with the entire film. I loved Alan Arkin, Dwayne Johnson, Masi Oka, and Nate Torrence in their supporting rolls. There was also quite a few great cameos by random comedians and actors that ramped up the fun. My favorite scene was the war room scene. Not surprisingly, there is fighting in the warroom! This was a great film. I love Steve Carell and I am keeping my fingers crossed for a franchise!

Two Lessons: 1) Nobody likes crunchy pudding. 2) You can always win a fight with a kiss.