By “Cinema” Dave

Twenty nine years ago, Stephen King published a trade paperback titled The Gunslinger, which was promoted and sold by the old Walden bookstores. With a mixture of science fiction, horror and cowboy ethos, I envisioned myself portraying the Gunslinger, Roland, who sought the Man in Black.

The Gunslinger was revealed to be a small part of a much larger epic. In the appendix, King wondered if he would live long enough to complete this cycle of stories, which concluded in 2004 with the seventh book, The Dark Tower.  It is ironic that the first movie of a proposed long-term series would be the title of the last book.

This movie opens with an ominous tone. A Dark Tower separates our world from alternative worlds with different time periods. (Confused?  Yeah, I know I lost some readers already). Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) is having apocalyptic nightmares about the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey) kidnapping children, blindfolding them and sucking out their brain waves. The brain waves are used to bombard the Dark Tower so that it will fall and the universe will be covered in darkness. The Man in Black has also picked a fight with Roland, the last Gunslinger (Idris Elba) from a golden age of law & order. Having killed Roland’s father (Dennis Haysbert), the Man in Black continuously taunts the gunslinger.

During an inner city earthquake in Manhattan, Jake discovers a portal machine that takes him into another world. Jake meets Roland, discusses mutual interests and decides to protect the Dark Tower. These actions set in motion a showdown between the Man in Black and the Gunslinger.

What was novel 29 years ago has become routine in the last 28 years of the summer blockbuster, movie experience. 

We see a series of action-set pieces that have no emotional involvement. By the time the hero and the villain have their showdown, the action feels repetitive.

With less than a two-hour running time, The Dark Tower feels longer in a dull way.   

I was saddened to learn about the passing of Haruo Nakajima this week.  While not a household name, Nakajima was an international superstar, best known for portraying the original Godzilla for nearly 20 years. A purely physical performance in a giant lizard suit, Nakajima managed to create a character that has endured for over six decades. Through a translator, Nakajima expressed a fondness for Godzilla and believed the monster was a tragic figure when I met him at a Spooky Empire convention three years ago.

I had arrived early at the DoubleTree Hotel and went into the gym. I watched this 85-year-old little man enter the gym and do many of the exercises that I did. Nakajima did not speak English, but, throughout the weekend, we shared a lot of smiles and a few laughs. R.I.P. Haruo Nakajima, a true class act.

By Dave Montalbano

“History shows again and again how nature points up the folly of men.” ‘Godzilla’ by Blue Oyster Cult

People who bingewatched the previous 60 years of Godzilla movies were disappointed in the recent release, but those seeking Popcorneating Saturday matinee entertainment shelled out $93 million in the United States to spend time with the radioactive-breath 350 ft tall giant lizard. The box office performed better than expected and Godzilla 2 has been greenlit.

The plot is very simple; it involves a family dealing with a cosmological crisis of epic proportions. To reveal more would be a disservice to Director Gareth Edwards’ modern vision of ancient mythology. Suffice it to say the tale of Godzilla has been told for many years on cave drawings.

The film is filled with many visual details. Godzilla’s slow reveal (through editing) is recreated from the original Godzilla movie from 1954. The opening credits acknowledge the “Godzilla reboot” from 60 and 16 years ago, respectively. As the primal monster attacks highly populated cities, one recognizes individuals held captive by government bureaucracy. This is good science fiction entertainment because it presents the monster as a metaphor for a given time.

The Love Punch opens tomorrow at area theaters. It is a full out romantic comedy fully realized from beginning to end. Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson are a divorced couple whose retirement nest egg has been stolen by a corporate raider from France. Given that their two children are in college, the couple reunite to reclaim their retirement fortune.

While both characters are suffering from empty nest syndrome, Brosnan’s character is the one who wants to reconcile. As Thompson’s character hatches a heist to reclaim “The Eye of the Rainbow” diamond at a wedding ceremony in a Paris suburb, the couple recruits their best friends (Timothy Spall and Celia Imrie – who should get their own caper someday). As the heist becomes more dangerous, the two couples still find time to bicker about their personal picadillos from the past.

The Love Punch is a simple story filled with farcical elements. Writer/director Joel Hopkins sets the tone very early with the prologue before the colorful credits roll. The film is full of energy, but it is not rushed. Each laugh is logically organized with a punch line that pays off each time.

Both Godzilla and The Love Punch provide fine entertainment diversion this Memorial Day weekend for their respective audiences. For those sticking around the house Sunday night, check out the National Memorial Day Concert on PBS. Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna return as co-hosts, with Jackie Evancho singing the National Anthem. Party hearty Memorial Day, but don’t forget to thank a veteran this weekend.