Summer movies

Still waiting on the new X-Files movie and the new Batman movie. Since moving back here, the four movies I've gone to see are as follows:

1) Iron Man: liked a lot. I loved everything about this movie except the score. I love Robert Downey Jr. in anything, and overall just a fun movie, comic-book movie made to look somewhat realistic, you know what I mean. However, while I was watching the action-y scenes, I kept thinking, Why does this movie just seem really cheesey at times? It's the score. Harry Knowles, my favorite film critic, agrees with me entirely! (Okay, it's probably just me agreeing with him.) The score, oh so important. Case in point: Batman Begins (as in, good score).

2) Indiana Jones 4: I'm not crazy about this film. I know it's supposed to be like the old ones, and that's its charm. But um, that's not going to make me like this film. I have a problem with all of Steven Spielberg's films, in that they always have to have some cutesy scenes. Obviously, a movie like Indiana Jones is gonna be VERY cartoony, but even in serious ones like "War of the Worlds," "Saving Private Ryan," "Schindler's List," there are cutesy, unrealistic scenes that remove me from the moment and think "oh yeah this is Spielberg." For example, in "Minority Report" (which I love), that scene where Tom Cruise has bandages over his eyes, and he reaches into the fridge, and instead of grabbing the cold glass of milk he grabs something disgusting-looking and drinks it, then repeats with the yummy-looking sandwich and disgusting sandwich. Very unrealistic, cartoony, Spielberg.

3) Sex and the City: it was OK. I know loads of people love this movie. I wasn't going to see it, but my mom really wanted to and she had no one to go with, so... anyway, I'm just not a big fan of the TV show. My mom loved it and found it hilarious, but seriously she loves chick comedies (and anything with Drew Barrymore). She loves "The Wedding Singer" and "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and "Fever Pitch" and stuff like that. In case you haven't noticed, we have very different tastes in movies. The only Drew Barrymore movie she doesn't like is "50 First Dates," and that is one of my favorite comedies of all time. Okay I feel embarrassed even admitting that.

4) The Happening: tragically, this movie sucked even for me. As I've previously blogged, I love M. Night Shyamalan. Like, really really. But nothing about this movie was right. ***SPOILERS AHEAD, stop reading if you don't want to know what happens in this movie. I have a theory about the plot. I truly think I am right about this. So the whole story is about how plants have evolved to give off a chemical that is harmful to humans, as a defense mechanism for nature. One problem with the script is that there is this tangent about a mood ring that the main character gave to his wife on their first date. This whole "mood ring" thing does not AT ALL have anything to do with the rest of the story. My theory is that there was originally an intention of saying that people's anger/hostility or bad moods cause the plants to give off the chemical, but that part of the plot got scrapped. It is evident throughout the movie. There are numerous times in which the disease becomes present when people start to fight/yell. One plant expert even pointed out at one point that plants respond to human stimulus, and more than once do characters start talking to plants to try to soothe them. Then there is this business about a mood ring. Well that's my theory!

Edited to add: I got to thinking about my little "theory" more and more, and I thought, the whole "mood" thing is so obvious, it's probably not even a "scrapped idea," but rather part of the story that viewers are supposed to figure out on their own without having to be told. I looked at imdb and I am definitely not the only one who noticed.