Monday, February 4, 2008

Rather random rantings

Superbowl XLII- Is it just me, or would the Superbowl benefit greatly from dropping the numbering system and switching over to subtitles? All the best ("best" being used very, very loosely here) movies do it, so why not the Superbowl? This year's could have been something like Superbowl: The Patriots Act. Or maybe Superbowl: Defenses collide. Or even better, it could have been something like Superbowl: Off Da Freaking Chain. Either way, I was pretty dang happy with how things turned out. With little (Read: no) interest vested in either team, I simply rooted for the underdogs and, after a decently entertaining battle, was happy to see a close showdown swing in my favor. Go Giants! Some of the commercials were pretty funny this evening too, even if they did do a poor job of selling their respective products.

Sunshine- I have a strong feeling nobody reading this has seen this movie yet. From Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later), this Sci-Fi romp starring Cillian Murphey tells the tale of a group of scientists on a quest to restart a dying sun before the fizzling celestial body casts Earth and all its inhabitants into a nuclear winter. No pressure, right? Reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Sunshine is shot from bold angles with an artistic flare and, supported by a cast of competent actors, tells a story far more complex and compelling than the vast majority of natural disaster films out there. Filled with a ridiculous amount of religious, social and ethical scenarios to ponder, Sunshine proves to be a unique Sci-Fi experience requiring the viewers full attention. Though things get messy in the final act, the rest of the film provides enough meat to serve as a sumptuous feast for both the brain and the eyes alike. Being a slower, more thoughtful film, I can't recommend this to everyone. For those in the market for a genre film that does everything in its power to rise above the confines of said genre, and succeeds the majority of the time, Sunshine is definitely worth a rent.

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