Movies With Cowboys, Aliens, Superheros and Smurfs All Reviewed by PJ

There have been some pretty good movies these past two weeks.

Last week first:

Let’s start right off by establishing that was about up to here with summer super-hero stuff. Enough already. He had his Thor, his X people, his Transformers, his Green Lantern, his Harry the Wizard, and for argument’s sake, let’s even include his Pirates of the Caribbean. And now it looked like he was going to have yet another with Captain America.

So, in the depth of the super-hero doldrums he popped into the 1:00 Saturday matinee. And wouldn’t you know it, Captain America turned out to be the cure for the summer-time-super-hero-doldrums blues. He loved the characters, the World War II type action, the neat special effects, the great looking aircraft, and the authentic 1940’s style. It had a little bit of the feel of Where Eagles Dare and The Dirty Dozen. All in all, Captain America is a most entertaining summer popcorn movie. Give it a shot. You’ll get lost in it.

Then this week the theater opened the improbable Cowboys and Aliens and Crazy Stupid Love.

The Cowboys first:

When PJ first saw the trailer for Cowboy and Aliens during the Super Bowl, he rolled his eyes, groaned out loud, and said to himself, “Harrison, what are you thinking? Cowboys and Aliens? Give me a break.”

But then last week his booker, Rob, called and said, “Hey, this picture is really pretty good!”

So, now PJ gets to thinking double negatively, “All right just because we’re in the Wild West doesn’t mean the aliens can’t have visited, right? Let’s give this a chance. Let‘s try to keep an open mind.”

And don’t you know, folks, turns out Rob was right. This flick is one of the all-time crazy stupid (not to be confused with the next movie to be reviewed) ridiculous outrageous summer matinee movies ever.

It contains homage to so many different movies and genres that it was hard for PJ to remember all of them.

This Daniel Craig. What a guy. He out Eastwoods Clint. He’s not only the Man with No Name, he actually can’t even remember his name. That’s a rip. That’s funny. His hat isn’t quite Clint’s Spaghetti Western hat, but it is really cool. He is one tough hombre.

And Harrison Ford! Ever since he told the bad guys to get out of his plane, he’s been one big disappointment after another. But, did he ever get the crustiness back for this one. Kudos to him. In an enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend development, he joins forces with Craig and undergoes a personality change in the process.

Then there are some classic scenes. Here are just a few…….

Can a Cowboy lasso an alien on the run?

Will they play it straight or will it come off campy?

Will there be a 2001: A Space Odyssey moment? (Where was Thus Spake Zarathustra when you needed it?)

Were there Alien-like hands-out-of-the-abdomen moments?

Was there an, “Oh, no, we can’t light the fuse to our dynamite moment?”

When Craig and the girl-with-the-eyes slog out of the river, were there wet moments unlike the scene in True Grit where the girl emerged bone dry?

Does Craig carry the injured mysterious woman miles on foot just like Jeff Bridges did in True Grit?

Were there zombie-like humans “held” in storage aboard the mother ship?

Were there reluctant heroes who got on the band wagon big time?

Were there disgusting, train-robbing outlaws with filthy clothes and black teeth?

Were there Indians fighting with and against the cowboys?

Was there a medicine man dispensing psychodelic potions?

Was there chanting at the funeral pyre?

Was there a naked lady emerging unscathed from the inferno getting draped with an Indian blanket for modesty’s sake?

Was there an evil cattle rancher just like we saw in Shane.

Was Daniel Craig Shane?

Were the lighting and special effects electric?

Was this movie a panic?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. And yes.

Hey, if you want to see Harrison Ford do his True Grit/John Wayne/Jeff Bridges moment, don’t miss this one. Just make sure to check your brains at the door, and go have a whole lot of fun.

And then there was Crazy Stupid Love.

PJ is not a big fan of Steve Carel, and he doesn’t know why. Maybe it’s his face. His movies, though, are always enjoyable, and so is this romantic comedy.

The ensemble cast is terrific. Especially the red-haired and freckled Emma Stone. She generally steals every movie she is in, and with merely a bit part. Here she plays opposite Ryan Gosling and they have lovely chemistry.

Marisa Tomei steals a bunch of scenes as well.

The movie does has a strange rhythm, and it takes a while to get out of first gear. But then it goes into cinematic cruise control. And it is a most pleasant trip which builds to a zany, crazy, stupid all-character-inclusive frenzy that is quite funny. And, it also has a heart. That’s nice.

Two weeks and three good ones.

That’s nice, too.

Oh, and by the way, a final word or two about the Smurfs which also just opened on Friday the 29th.

PJ is thinking that this may be the first time he can recall wherein a nostalgic theme has prompted parents, two generations removed, to bring their children to the theater. Yes, 30-something-year-olds wishing to revisit their childhood pleasures upon their children have been flooding in to see the little blue fellas. And enjoy it they do.

And that’s also nice.