Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow made me want to approach the maker of the film, Kerry Conran, like Sky Captain treated Polly Perkins, with a combination of admiration, disgust, and maybe a punch or two.

Admiration. Conran had a vision, not an original vision, but a vision nevertheless. And better than that, he got his vision made into a film. To actually have the gumption to get one's ideas out to the public impresses me. He thought through what could really be done with blue-screens, and he got the financing to do it. Unlike most action films the sexuality was very subdued by modern standards, and the lacked the cruelty and tastelessness of the post-Stallone world.

Disgust. To enjoy the movie's script requires ignoring the few good parts, and turning off your ears (and sometimes your brain) the rest of the time. It's like picking through the trail mix for the M&Ms. There is one particularily outrageous script gaff in which Dex, the lovable nerd of the cast, is captured by a bunch of robots, only to inexplicably reappear deep in a secret facility just in time to save Sky Captain and his dame. It was a true "what the Hell?" moment.

I had heard that there was a great sequence of the Hindenburg III docking on the Empire State building. When the movie started and opened with this scene my heart sank. It was a great sequence, but I knew that it would probably be downhill from then out. My prediction was not far off. The visuals are generally great and in keeping with the overall style of the film, but as the story line moves away from the city, the backgrounds become trite. This is especially true of the Shangri-la scenes.

I want to punch Kerry Conran and shout into his face, "Next time hire a writer!"

Posted by Nica @ 11:32 PM PST [Link]

I really don't know what this is all about, but I like it!

Timecube.com

Posted by Nica @ 09:08 PM PST [Link]

I put Soren back in the big cage. The ladies have been hovering about him. It's rare to see the two hens so close together. Soren is in front, then Ludvig, then Marie.

Posted by Nica @ 11:18 PM PST [Link]