Blade mindless, but extremely fun

Thursday, December 09, 2004

In a month when most studios unleash their Oscar hopefuls, Blade: Trinity will never be confused as a film submitted for your consideration to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unless there is an Oscar for biggest action/cheesefest.

Even through its problems, the film has such a perverse tone that it works. Its the perfect example of mindless popcorn fluff, complete with bloody action sequences that are more impressive for their sheer goofiness than their thrills and spills.

This third installment of the Blade series picks up with the title character teaming up with a group of renegade vampire hunters, including Hannibal (Ryan Reynolds), a former vampire, and Abigail (Jessica Biel), the daughter of Blades mentor, Whistler.

The trio is tracking down a group of vampires (indie-film queen Parker Posey and WWE wrestler Triple H are among them) who have resurrected Dracula and plan to use him to take over the world.

Director David S. Goyer doesnt really concern Blade with too many silly details a coherent plot, for instance choosing to instead smother the film with a mixture of musical fight montages (most featuring at least one overly dramatic slow-motion sequence) and corny one-liners (many times delivered by the former Van Wilder Reynolds).

Ill admit, in most cases this is the formula for disaster, but there was a point in Blade: Trinity that I just gave up and enjoyed the film for what it was: mind-numbingly violent, yet entertaining.

Snipes looks like he is on cruise control, barely uttering 10 sentences of dialogue in the entire film. Biel does for vampire slayers what she did for damsels in distress in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, providing the film with plenty of eye candy. And Posey has shown such talent in films like Waiting for Guffman and Party Girl that there is humor in watching her slum it in a movie that is definitely undeserving of her talents.

But its Reynolds who steals the movie, providing the kind of one-liners that made Arnold Schwarzenegger such a huge action star.

Im sure there are those who will take this film seriously; judging by the audience I saw, Blade has its share of die-hard fans. If you are looking for a film with insight and depth see Sideways. If you are looking for a throwaway guilty pleasure with a bark louder than its bite, this is the movie for you.

Discount dandy of the week

This weeks discount dandy is Mr. 3000, an amiable comedy that features a nice turn by Bernie Mac that allows it to overcome its obvious formulaic shortcomings.

Mac plays Stan, an abrasive former major player who retired right after picking up his 3000th hit. When records discover that he was credited for three hits more than he actually got, Stan is forced out of retirement in his mid-40s in a quest to regain the milestone and get elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

There really arent too many surprises in Mr. 3000, as director Charles Stone takes a pretty straight-forward delivery of a film that is full of sports clichs.

Still, Mac proves to be a credible leading man you can almost buy the obligatory change of heart required in a screenplay that is so by-the-numbers.

Angela Bassett has a solid supporting turn as an ESPN anchor who is a Stans former lover, although I have to question her journalistic integrity.

But that is an argument best left for a film a little less light-hearted. Mr. 3000 may not be ground-breaking, but it is mildly entertaining enough to overlook its weaknesses.

Mr. 3000 opens Friday at the Plaza 6, where all movies are $1.50.  Daily News ·813 College St. ·PO Box 90012 ·Bowling Green, KY ·42102 ·270-781-1700