Summer leftovers

I've been away from the blog too long, so I'm going to try and make up for that with a post explosion today. First up is a pair of short movie reviews for a couple of movies I saw recently.

The Rocker: I actually saw this as part of my 5 movies in 5 days stunt a few weeks ago, but I just never got around to posting a review for it. Now with so much time passed, it will only get a mini-review. This is an amiable film that really doesn't break any new ground. Rainn Wilson does a nice job as Robert 'Fish' Fishman, a hair metal band drummer who gets kicked out of his band right before they hit it big. Now he's middle-aged and still trying to rock out, this time with his nephew's high school band. This one has neither the sweetness nor the rock appreciation that a film like School of Rock had, nor the edgy comedy of the Apatow films. You can see how everything will play out, but you don't mind since the story works. Although I will admit that the comeuppance that Fish's old band receives at the end of the movie doesn't seem plausible or realistic. I think the best part of the film for me is that a lot of it takes place in Cleveland and they show several scenes involving the city landscape. I wish I could have been at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when Rainn was filming his scenes there. This one probably isn't worth actively renting, but when its eventually on cable and its a rainy Saturday afternoon, you may want to give it a look. Grade: C+

Journey to the Center of the Earth: This one I caught as I was flying back from San Diego. If you're unfamiliar, it's the modern update of the classic Jules Verne story; this time with Brenden Fraser, his nephew, and a cute tour guide somehow finding their to the center of the Earth and then trying to find a way to come back home. Again, this film is not terrible, but not great either. Then again, I probably didn't get the full experience of the film. This film is clearly designed to be seen in 3-D. Not only did I not see it in 3-D, but I didn't even see it on a regular size screen. A lot gets lost on that tiny airplane screen. And watching a film meant for 3-D on anything but, can be really annoying. Especially when they do things like spit or throw something at the camera that you can tell was meant to utilize the technology but just looks dumb if you watch it in 2-D. Fraser is good in these visual-laden adventure films, but the other two actors don't provide a whole lot. Kids will probably really enjoy this, but I thought they didn't do enough to fully explore the landscape of the mythical center of the Earth. I'm glad the film did well though since they went out of their way to set up a sequel at the end of this film. I think with the 3-D format becoming so popular lately, that film will almost certainly get made. If you didn't see this one yet, try and find a way to see it in 3-D; otherwise you can probably skip it. Grade: C