Men In Black 3
I love the “Men In Black” films, and Men In Black 3 is probably my 2nd favorite of the trilogy. Unfortunately, my theater experiences were tainted. The first time I went to see it I was a) exhausted, and b) late (tried to squeeze a dinner in first) so conditions were less than ideal. I had a good time, and was with really good friends, but the movie experience could have been better.
So of course I had to try again, this time with Sandra. We saw the whole movie, and neither of us was about to collapse from post-convention exhaustion, but this time around I a) knew what was coming, and b) was watching with a critical eye, trying to dissect the film. Here’s the rub, though. Imperfect as those experiences were, I still liked the movie a lot. Josh Brolin’s performance was brilliant -- he was completely convincing as a young Tommy Lee Jones. The story was a good one, too, though I didn’t really warm up to it until J “time-jumped.”
As time-travel stories go it’s not bad, but it’s not fantastic. The loop raised a lot of questions that a good writer could answer, but the film had neither the time nor inclination to focus on that. We’re not supposed to be amazed at the intricacies of paradox, we’re supposed to be laughing at juxtapositions, cheering for heroism, and worrying about some ominously-yet-vaguely-described consequences.
Looking over my list, I think this one has to come in at #3 for the year. After all, I liked it enough to see it twice.