Wanted: A fairly decent action flick. The story tries to be clever and almost pulls it off. Morgan Freeman does a passable job as a bad guy (See "Lucky Number Sleven"). Angelina Jolie returns to her girls kicking butt role ("Tomb Raider", "Mr & Mrs Smith"). A young man is recruited by a secret society of assassins. He's told that the target he's after killed his father. He embarks on a rigorous training regimen which includes learning how to curve a bullet. Apparently, the laws of physics don't apply to this movie. Good chase scene? Yes. Good gun battles? Yes. Lots of mayhem and destruction? Yes. Worth the full price of admission? Eh. Depends on what you're looking for. If all the above, then yes. If you want a good story with sharp, witty dialogue, good writing and directing, then no.
Hancock: Withe the successes of Independence Day, Men in Black and I, Robot, Will Smith owns the July 4 weekend for new movies. Smith has shown he can take on serious roles (The Pursuit of Happyness, Ali) but he's best at action-comedy-Bad Boys, Wild Wild West. Hancock is more in line with the action-comedy genre. Hancock is not your average superhero. No cape. No special gadgets. No souped up car. Other than Superman-like strength and speed, there's not much about Hancock that marks him as a superhero. And he prefers it that way. He lives on the street and takes out the bad guys when called upon. But, his work is not appreciated. Mostly, because he leaves a lot of collateral damage in his wake. Enter an image consultant whose life Hancock saved and wants to return the favor by restoring Hancock's public image. He suggests a stint in jail to show the public how much they really need Hancock. Don't know what you have till its gone mentality. The image consultant's wife (Charlize Theron) plays a major role in this movie and not one that's expected. It's a pretty good plot twist in the movie.
Hellboy II, The Golden Army: Good action. Good story. Better than the first Hellboy. A long time ago, when trolls and elves and goblins and all manner of fantastical creatures walked the earth with humans, great wars were waged by the humans because of their greed. The fantasy creatures might have been utterly destroyed had not an indestructable, invincible army of golden robots been created that turned the tide. Then the humans might have been destroyed. But finally an elf king (or some non-human royalty) established a truce and made a crown with three parts and only when all three parts were together could the wearer of the crown command the golden army. One part was given to the humans. The other two were divided among his twin son and daughter. The son does not trust humans and wants to finish them off, but he needs the crown. He opens war on the humans at an auction house where a piece of the crown is on display. HellBoy and his partners a fire girl and an acquatic humanoid are called in. Lots of fighting, fire, shooting, and very gross looking creatures. The quest to stop the prince from commanding the golden army leads them to the prince's sister and across the world to Northern Ireland. There are some moments of levity among all the fighting and fantasy creatures, which serves to break the tension of the film. Recommended viewing.
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