Thanks to a friend at Ye Olde Comic Shoppe I found myself with a pass for two to sneak a peek at the soon-to-be-released film, 10,000 B.C. After a hearty meal at Texas Roadhouse–and what else would one eat before going to see a movie with mastodons and saber-toothed tigers besides steak–James and I settled in for the show.

Filmmaker Rolland Emmerich, of Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow fame, looks to the past for his inspiration for this film:

“I have always been intrigued by the idea of classic storytelling, in the timeless way people have told stories round the campfire for generations.”

If by ‘classic storytelling’ he means boringly paced tall tales with ridiculous coincidences and elements stolen from other more well-told stories then he succeeded marvelously.

Allow me to congratulate myself right now for my part in investing in your financial future–if you want to revisit prehistoric times, save your money and go watch a few episodes of the Flintstones. Even the more recent celluloid interpretations of Fred and Barney have more believable concepts and better execution that this steaming pile of mammoth dung.

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With little or no effort one can successfully argue the fact that the romantic comedy is a predictable, formulaic genre of film. The rehashing of ages old fairy stories with one-dimensional characters has been done over and over again and will continue to be done. Is it any wonder that the critics are merciless in the reviewing of these films? Take the latest offering, Penelope, for example. With its Ugly Duckling theme and the fact that the film itself has reportedly been delayed for two years, not to mention that it is being released during the month where film dreams go to die, February, it wouldn’t be surprising to be able to uphold Penelope as an example of all that is wrong with this genre of film.

What is truly surprising, however, is that Penelope defies the odds and instead represents just what is and can be right about romantic comedies.

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I am an unapologetic fan of the period piece film and generally enjoy them regardless of the opinions offered by the critics. With its release in February and the fact that it was bound to be a depressing film (after all, anyone with a cursory knowledge of history knows just how Anne Boleyn meets her end), I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit worried that my 18 bucks (movie for two) was essentially being thrown away.

Continue reading The Other Boleyn Girl →