Saving the world, yeah! I don’t usually come out with exclamatory things like that, but I may feel them. In the vein of Flash Gordon (which I have been listening to recently—the 1980 soundtrack is awe-inspiring) and zillions of other ‘saving the world’ films comes Power Rangers (PG-13) this weekend.

I have never been a Power Ranger viewer and therefore am no fan, but I do like stories (read: premises) that start off telling you this is about saving the world especially if they are science fiction orientated. I don’t believe people can be super-powered like the power rangers, but I’m pumped for a save the world scenario. It’s always good to watch the world being saved rather than the other way around. The trailer looks impressive, with machines like kinetically empowered over-sized toys.

Life,  CHIPS, Wilson, Slamma Jamma

An Alien-like premise is Life (R) but with something more. The alien life form not only threatens those aboard a space station but the whole of earth as well. A bit of a stretch, I mean unbelievable, involving never proven aliens and speculative alien identity, and it’s dark, but the aliens could stand for thematic touches of paradise lost and stopping the madness go any further. Cinematically, we hope it is a visceral two hours of suspense as well.

CHIPS (R) is a movie version of the Chips television series of the 1970’s, which was fun because of the magnetism of the two leads playing California Highway Patrol men. Their banter was cool even though they rode bikes that made them look ‘uncoordinated’ which was more a quirk than a flaw. The Chips stories were less interesting.

I thought Wilson was a drama, but it’s an R-rated comedy. Enough said, except that its comedy is wound up in a sort of dramatic context: loneliness, families on the edge, which are interesting things to explore, but perhaps dramatically. When I saw this premise on paper, I thought, is this a drama? Or is this a dramedy (a mix of comedy and drama)?

Slamma Jamma (PG) is about slam dunking, which was what I liked to do when playing basketball at school, so I like watching others slam dunk. Slam dunks are some of the thrills of playing basketball and great to watch. The main man doing the dunking is wrongfully accused but is still preparing for the national championships. Inspirational, redemptive story.

My pick this week is Power Rangers.