The first time I saw Men in Black, I was expecting the standard action-adventure sci-fi flick, a la Independence Day or Armageddon. You know — something’s threatening to destroy the universe, and Will Smith heroically jumps in to save the day and win the affections of some beautiful woman. A lot of edge-of-your-seat action. A couple of tears. Lots of explosions.
I was in for a big surprise. Or at least the tears that gathered in the corners of my eyes weren’t the kind of tears that I was expecting. They were tears of laughter.
Will Smith plays James Edwards, a NYPD officer who, after chasing down a strange subject (with two sets of eyelids), attracts the attention of a secret agency, devoted to monitoring alien activity on the planet. He becomes MIB agent J and is immediately thrown (with his partner, K, played by Tommy Lee Jones) into a fight to save Earth from being destroyed by a species of aliens whose galaxy has been stolen by an alien wearing the skin of a clumsy farmer (no kidding). As J and K fight to return the galaxy to its rightful owners, they come across a number of aliens — that look much like squid, pawn shop owners, and pug dogs.
MIB isn’t just any old action-adventure film. It’s an action-adventure comedy, full of one-liners and bizarre effects. And the final product is a movie that I can (and do) watch again and again without getting sick of it.
The DVD version also includes several making-of features that take viewers behind the scenes. And after watching them, you’ll get an even greater appreciation for the movie.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
0
0
