Summer Movie Update

It has been awhile since I last updated this blog so here it goes...

Spiderman 3: It took me two months to see this movie, but when I finally did in a questionable discount theater I was impressed. Critics, upon its release, had soured to this trilogy. Spiderman 2 had been greeted with high praise as the embodiment of perfect summer action. Spiderman 2 was a great film, but the criticism voiced against Spiderman 3 is misplaced. I found the story line believable and who honestly did not like to see Tobey turn evil (at least for a fleeting moment). Additionally, the action sequences were excellent as always and Topher Grace finally got what was coming to him. Grade B

Sicko: In one of my rare adventures to an "indie" theater, I viewed Michael Moore's most recent message picture. (On a side note, indie films are where true acting lives but often goes unseen. But maybe this is not because Americans are unintelligent - as some suggest - but rather because indie theaters are just sort of scary?) Sicko is a powerful picture. Moore comes with considerable baggage and many people see the messenger and write off the message. This is a mistake. While the movie's beginning is rough, it soon settles down into a compelling and depressing portrayal of our nation's healthcare system. All Americans should see this movie, for the message and questions are too great to ignore. Even if you disagree with Bowling for Columbine and were angered by the assertions in Fahrenheit 9/11, you are not above this debate. Moore's movie clearly has an agenda and while you may disagree with his ideology he raises one simple yet powerful question: Is healthcare a right only reserved for those who can pay for it? To this can be added hundreds of personal thoughts, yet I will leave it as this: Is it an "American value" to allow middle class families to lose everything because some HMO won't pay for a life and death surgery? It is bad enough when 40 million Americans do not have health insurance, but worse when those who have paid for insurance still get denied necessary coverage! Grade B

Transformers: Incredible action scenes, talking robots, and a movie based on a cartoon and toys that fed my youthful imagination - enough said...Great! Grade B