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Posts Tagged ‘Men in Black’
Men in Black 3: A Flickcharter’s Movie Review
24, May 2012
By every possible scenario, Men in Black 3 should absolutely not work. The original Men in Black, released in 1997, was a box office blockbuster that caught everybody by surprise. On the other hand, its first sequel, released ten years ago, was a out-and-out disaster. Despite still being a box office success, many moviegoers felt cheated by what was essentially a rehash of the first movie with a weak villain (played by the usually capable Lara Flynn Boyle). Despite the issues with the second film, I was willing to give the new sequel a chance. After all, I already knew that if it was at least a step up from Men in Black II, then it would have already done its job. Well, surprise, surprise, the new sequel is not only a step above the previous movie, but it is also something else: A film almost as good as the original.
- In: Movie Reviews|New Releases
- Tags: 1997, 2002, 2012, 3D, Alice Eve, Andy Warhol, Barry Sonnenfeld, Bill Hader, David Koepp, David Rasche, Emma Thompson, Etan Coen, Ghostbusters, Jeff Nathanson, Jemaine Clement, Josh Brolin, Lara Flynn Boyle, Men in Black, Men in Black 3, Men in Black II, Michael Stuhlbarg, Rip Torn, The Goonies, Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith
by Nigel Druitt
In This Corner…
In 1997, space was a quirky place. Paul Verhoeven went bug-squishing in Starship Troopers. A pre-Resident Evil Paul W.S. Anderson and a pre-Hellboy Guillermo Del Toro gave us very different sci-fi/horror flicks in Event Horizon and Mimic. And Alien Resurrection made the venerable franchise a little weirder under the pen of Joss Whedon and the direction of French indie favorite Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
Arguably, the two most successful offerings, however, gave us very unique takes on science fiction (at least from a visual standpoint). One was the surreal and visually unique pet project of a French writer/director who nowadays is better known for writing and producing more generic action fare such as Taken and the Transporter franchise. The other was based on a comic book (back when such things were a little less common), was a bona fide box office smash (coming only behind the then-highest-grossing-movie-of-all-time in the year’s earnings) and cemented Will Smith‘s reputation as a box-office king (fresh as he was off the previous year’s Independence Day). Both films packed plenty of chuckles–intentional and, perhaps, otherwise.
To twist a tagline from that Alien franchise: In space, no one can hear you laugh. But back in ’97, the laughter was heard in multiplexes everywhere. Come enter the Reel Rumbles ring as we take a stroll thirteen years down memory lane and bust heads with some freaky aliens in The Fifth Element vs. Men in Black.
- In: Reel Rumbles|User Showcase
- Tags: 1997, Alien, Alien Resurrection, Barry Sonnenfeld, Bruce Willis, Chris O'Donnell, chris tucker, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, David Mamet, David Schwimmer, Dennis Rodman, E.T., Event Horizon, film, films, Flickchart, From Paris with Love, Gary Oldman, Get Shorty, Guillermo Del Toro, Hellboy, Ian Holm, Independence Day, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Joss Whedon, Luc Besson, matchup, Men in Black, Milla Jovovich, Mimic, movie battles, movies, Paul Verhoeven, Paul W.S. Anderson, Reel Rumbles, Resident Evil, Rick Baker, Star Wars, Starship Troopers, Steven Spielberg, Sylvester Stallone, Taken, Taxi, The Addams Family, The Fifth Element, The Professional, The Transporter, Tommy Lee Jones, Vincent D'Onofrio, Will Smith, William Shakespeare