You'll Like Him When He's . . . Hungry.

So I went to three movies today. I paid for the first one and then went to the next two gratis. This took some planning and some fortune. The planning was making sure the timing was right on the different showings; the fortune was that all the screens were in the same part of the theatre.

First up, The Incredible Hulk. Ebert liked it but thought there wasn't enough character development with Bruce Banner, like there was with The Hulk, and too much "smashing" (The TV character is David Banner because they thought "Bruce Banner" sounded too gay.). I disagree with Ebert. I must admit I've not seen the Hulk from Ang Lee starring Eric Bana in its entirety, but I think I like the new one better. Edward Norton does a fine job when he's on the screen conveying his struggle with the power inside him. Plus there is plenty of smashing, which is executed nicely with their special effects team. It doesn't hurt that Marvel Studios is laying the groundwork for a movie that has all their recent superheroes like Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk. Tony Stark made an appearance in this film, and a newspaper clip opening montage that covered the origins of the Hulk included Nick Fury who makes an appearance at the end of Iron Man.

Penultimate, Get Smart. It was good. At 110 minutes it might have been a bit long, but it was good, and the casting was all very good. Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, and Dwayne Johnson all did a fine job. I've never seen an episode of the original show, but I've heard they (Mel Brooks and Buck Henry) were going for a cross between Inspector Clouseau and James Bond. I haven't seen any Clouseau movies either, but I think Carell might have been not blundery enough. He seems to have plenty of heart and competence, just some occasional clumsiness or ineptness. But I don't mind, I like it, and the movie worked for me.

Finally, Kung Fu Panda. Jack Black as a kung fu fighting panda. What more could one really want. I do know that the movie wanted for nothing. It was well animated, voiced, and scripted. I particularly appreciate that it was able to be contemporary without any pop culture references. And while Jack Black was the lead, it wasn't an animated Jack Black, just a panda voiced by him. It is tricky sometimes to find the balance twixt using an actor's persona and not just the actor.