Review Roundup: 16 Blocks, Block Party, Aquamarine, not Ultraviolet
Filed under: Action, Comedy, Drama, Music & Musicals, Thrillers, New Releases, Family Films, Review Roundup
Four movies open wide this weekend and, shock of shocks, one of them wasn't screened for critics. Surprisingly, it wasn't the one about the teenage mermaid - instead, they were denied Ultraviolet, the futuristic, shiny, violence-fest. Columbia probably isn't too worried about it, though, because Milla Jovovich is hot enough to rule the box office on the strength of posters alone (Seriously, have you seen those posters?). Critics did have their say, however, on 16 Blocks (derivative, but alright), Block Party (awesome), and Aquamarine (so totally cute, OMG!). The details are below.
- Block Party: The critics have spoken, friends, and they freaking love Dave Chappelle and his partay. Even the few hardened souls who mustered the strength to resist the movie's considerable charms nevertheless found themselves drawn to Chapelle and his easy-going persona. (Also, every single damn review mentioned his appearance on Oprah. We've heard enough about that by now, thanks.)
- 16 Blocks: No, the Fugees aren't in this one, sadly enough. It does, however, feature Bruce Willis and Mos Def, both of whom earn praise from most critics, though said critics don't all feel as positively about the film. Those who do like it freely acknowledge the debt the film owes to the zillions of cop/perp/action flicks that came before, but at least it's fairly accomplished in its derivative-ness. Which means, essentially, that our standards have fallen pathetically low.
- Aquamarine:
Basically,
if you've got a pre-teen or barely
teenage daughter (or, even
better, are one), Aquamarine is for
you. It's actually pretty good -
again, if you're twelve. If you're not, however, go see something
else. And parents, keep in mind this bit from the most entertaining review of the whole
weekend, written in the voice of the movie's target audience: "When the mermaid and her human friends gawked at
the lifeguard...and [he] shook water off his abs and the movie went all slow motion, dad leaned over and said: 'Brokeback
Mountain didn't make me this uncomfortable.'"
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-03-2006 @ 11:30PM
Peter Nellhaus said...
Martha: I did the dirty work so you won't have to. I actually saw "Ultraviolet" this afternoon at the insistence of my significant other. I'll be posting my take on it Saturday. It's actually not a bad film.
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3-04-2006 @ 4:34AM
LA said...
I was really excited about going and seeing this movie and was beyond disappointed. First of all the special effects are ridiculous. Second the acting was horrible. The motorcycle chase scene was actually the funniest thing I have ever seen. Climbing up the side of a building and then jumping from one through a helicopter and then landing on the other.....yeah right! No one can use the reason that I didn't know the type of movie I was going to see. I didn't expect an Oscar winner, but I did expect to be entertained. I love the Resident Evil, Underworld, Matrix etc. movies but this isn't even worth the Sci-Fi channel. I don't discourage anyone from seeing any movie because everyone's taste is different, but to give this movie anything above a 3 or 4 is insane.
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3-04-2006 @ 6:16AM
Martha Fischer said...
Thanks for your input, guys. I was actually going to ask for reviews, but had no idea people would actually go! Peter, I'm looking forward to reading your take - LA, yours is too depressing to even think about, b/c my hopes for the movie are exactly the same as yours were. My poor Milla.
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3-04-2006 @ 6:51AM
Martha D. said...
Quick comment on Aquamarine. I just took my daughter and 12 friends (all age 8) to this movie for her Birthday. They LOVED it! The movie was adorable for starters, but, most of all, the main theme was friendship. The friendship theme is a great one for girls in this age bracket. I say a big thumbs up!
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