Snow White and the Huntsman (2012, U.S.)

Ugh. This movie was almost a complete disappointment. Usually I defend Kristen Stewart to all haters, because she really is a great actress. She wasn't bad here, but she didn't stand out either. But neither did Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth, Bob Hoskins, Ian McShane, Ray Winstone, or any other great actors that peppered the cast. In fact, I thought Charlize Theron bordered on bad, because everything she did seemed so overacted, to the point of melodrama. Honestly, the whole thing was pretty melodramatic

Perhaps it was the writing or maybe the directing, but it just seemed ridiculous. Visually it was quite stunning, but on the other hand it seemed like they relied entirely too much on visual effects to the detriment of the plot. The nugget of plot was so good too.

It was also very distracting that every other minute something presented a visual reminder of another fantasy film, particularly The Lord of the Rings. (Down to the Tree of Gondor that graced KStew's armor... that was a bit much.) James Newton Howard is one of my favorite composers, and some of his pieces here were spot on, but he didn't quite win my favor this go round, because even his score echoed LOTR occasionally. Altogether strange, and you'd really have to see it (and be very familiar with the trilogy) to see all the subtle echoes. It was disconcerting.

I would recommend this to die-hard fans of any of the cast and people who like their fairy tales nice as dark (as they were intended), and even to LOTR fans who take pleasure in yelling, "Copycats!"

Rating: 3.0

Hancock (2008, U.S.)

Will Smith has been in some pretty awful movies (in my opinion). Case in point: Men in Black, Wild Wild West, Bad Boys... But he's a great actor. Truly great. And while this was just another Will Smith action flick, it wasn't just another Will Smith action flick. I would have waited to see this when it came out on DVD, but again, Mom wanted to see it.

It was definitely not what I expected. It was funny, it was dramatic, there was a bit of action, there was some weird, angsty, (interracial--good for you, Hollywood!) romance. The premise was actually quite good, and while the execution was slightly lacking, it still turned out well. The only part that really bothered me (and detracted from the film) was Hancock shoving one man's head up another man's rear. That was just disgusting and stupid and didn't do anything for the movie at all. So that was disappointing.

Also, the score was pretty good, alternating from subtle to in-your-face super hero-ish music. I believe I've seen several movies with music by John Powell, but I don't think it's ever stood out so much. So I think that was a good thing.

Overall, I would recommend you see this one, if you like heroes, Will Smith, or summer blockbusters. (I would probably give this a 3.5 on a normal day, but I can't give it the same score that I just gave Fool's Gold. So it gets a 4.0.)

Rating: 4.0