Movie Review: R.I.P.D.

So last night my wife and I went out to see an advanced screening of the new film R.I.P.D., starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges.

First of all, yes - the film can largely be described as Men In Black, but with Supernatural, rather than Extra-Terrestrial beings in it.

Aside from that, however, the film was a whole lot of fun, had a really great sense of humour and had just about the perfect balance between horror and comedy.  I'm pretty sure both my kids will really enjoy it, and although I didn't really see the 3D as necessary, I don't think it drastically took away from the film either.

The film follows a recently deceased boston cop (Reynolds) who finds that he has been recruited into the Rest In Peace Department (RIPD), meaning it is now his job to return the unquiet dead back to where they belong when they escape to Earth.

Yes, a lot of the elements in the film were covered in the Television series Dead Like Me (which, if you haven't seen it is pretty amazing, by the way) and the short-lived Television series Brimstone (which actually used an awful lot of the same concepts).

In the end, the writing is sharp, the visuals are fun, and as it's based on a graphic novel from Dark Horse Comics (producers of my personal favourite series, Hellboy) so I'd say it is definitely worth the watch.

Things I've Noticed: Finding the right genre movie for Valentine's Day can be tricky

So here's how we do Valentine's Day 2011, Bookmonkey style.

Step 1) Take Valentine's day off, so that I can spend the day with my wife, and get a long weekend.

Step 2) Celebrate the fact that our younger daughter Kaia will have returned from her amazing school trip to Quebec City.

Step 3) Go out for breakfast - my favourite kind of meal to have at a restaurant.

Step 4) Pick the right movie. Every year I try my best to find a film that will fit into both my love of genre and fit with the day as well.

4a) Genre video games are not a substitute (Tip - no matter how awesome you think playing a video game wherein the lead "romantically" attempts to rescue a princess while making your lady love watch - this will not work out for you).

4b) Your wife's pick for most romantic genre film (David Cronenberg's The Fly) may work great for her, but may give you the heebie jeebies.

4c) Compromise is always a good way to go - for instance we could pick either a fantasy film or an SF film for me, as long as they star either Colin Farrell or Ryan Reynolds for her.

5) If the day doesn't go as well as planned - show your wife that you have been planning the event for days now, using this post as proof.