The Scam: Get 3 people into the movie theatre with 2 tickets and watch 3 movies for the price of one. Moneywise, this was a huge success. $6.50 for 3 movies is not bad when the average price at a more upscale multiplex is $10.
Movie #1, Van Helsing:You know it's a brainless, rock'em-sock'em movie when it stars Kate Beckinsale. This time, she sports curls and a Spanish/Italian accent that Transylvanians are known for. I wouldn't comment on the plot. I learned from philosophy class that you can't say a plot is bad unless it is a plot. Stephen Sommers basically wasted 2 hours of my life by making me watch evey monster that ever existed in fiction being implausibly thrown together and listen to his horrible dialogue and extremely loud soundtrack.
Movie #2, Shrek 2:This was really funny. Even funnier than the first one. Although I did miss Far'quaad. This was more of an adult cartoon than anything because all the adults laughed at the jokes and the kids just screamed. Things that stick out: Sir Justin; Shrek getting arrested COPS style; Prince Charming flipping his hair; Puss making his cute face to ward of guards.
Movie #3, The Day After Tomorow:The best part was where Americans were crossing the Rio Grande toward Mexico illegally. Then Mexico reopening the border and hosting the Americans because the Americans forgave their debt. It's really funny because in real life, in all likelihood, the Mexicans would gun down all the Americans like ants. And this was a strange movie because few disaster movies have such happy endings. Perhaps it kind of sends out the wrong message because it's like saying you don't have to do anything about global warming or greenhouse gases. Sooner or later, Earth will find a way to clean itself and all you have to do is to survive the semi-Ice Age thing. The movie's ultimate message would've been better if everyone died and Earth became a wasteland. Then we can add global climate change to the long list of things Americans are scared of. And maybe they would do something about it.
This is totally unrelated. But I read some online reviews about The Simpsons' "Bart-mangled Banner" episode. It's the one where Bart accidentally moons the American flag and the whole family gets put in jail. The reviews generally disliked the episode because it was the most unfunny episode of the season and all the jokes fell flat. Americans. They don't seem to get political satire at all. No wonder they find MadTV and SNL funny. It was pretty obvious what this episode was mocking and I laughed my head off.
The season finale of The Simpsons, the one where Lisa starts her own newspaper because Mr. Burns monopolized all the media outlets was pretty political as well. When Americans watched this episode, don't they feel that the events on the show seem a little too familiar? That's because they are happening in real life, you idiots! Free speech being oppressed....the writers on the show must be making all this up because this would never happen in the U.S.A. Right?