2004: Movies Sorted By Tier
Submitted by jim on Tue, 05/25/2004 - 01:47
Tags:
Loved
The Aviator
... Is it heretical to name this as my favorite Martin Scorsese movie? Nonetheless, I think I have to do it. I bet if I were to rewatch Goodfellas it would jump back to the top, but really it comes down to those two. Marty did good sticking with DiCaprio for one more movie as he does a better job with this material than for Gangs of New York (not that he was bad there). Probably his best role since his breakout in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? Suddenly, I can't wait for The Departed. Cate Blanchett was similarly magnificent. Finally, irrelevantly, IMBb trivia says Kate Beckinsale put on 20 pounds to play Ava Gardner, and she's never looked better. Not that any woman should listen to me (or any other jackass) for body image cues, but I bet most actresses would be similarly improved by similar weight gains. I'll take healthy over skinny any day of the week, and on Sundays too.Before Sunset
... They had me at "hello." As satisfying as the ending is, I think my favorite part was the beginning, where Linklater, Hawke, and Delpy perfectly capture the awkwardness of unexpectedly encountering an old acquaintance, floundering to establish a rapport, and then finding it like you'd never lost it. Second favorite part comes wrapped up in the first part, and is the revelations (to us and to each other) as to what happened to their planned "six months later" meeting set up in the first movie. Oo, and my third favorite was probably Hawke's book signing with flashbacks. Okay, all my favorites happened in the first 20 minutes, but the rest of the movie was pretty darn great too. A sequel that exceeds the original, but would not have reached such heights without the original serving as launch pad.The Bourne Supremacy
... I'd compare this to the original, but they are like apples and oranges. Where the first chapter was an action movie first, spy thriller second, this is the converse. Where the first movie had heart and humor, this movie very carefully excises those elements to leave behind one of the darker summer blockbusters in my recollection. The clean and smooth set pieces and choreography of The Bourne Identity are gone, and are replaced with a muddled, jerky, grainy style of action direction that I usually hate, but found breathtakingly effective here. In one claustrophobic fight to the death, you have to struggle to see what's going on, but there's no question from the sound and images that many painful blows are being doled out, and the camera is treated as a third combatant, giving the whole sequence (and others) a very personal sense of urgency. There are a few too many narrow escapes, and in a few moments the pace falters, but all is forgiveable, as this is one of the best spy thrillers I've seen (and with a super car chase to boot). Between Identity being one of the best action movies and Supremacy being one of the best spy thrillers, the two make for, perhaps, the best one-two punch in spy movie history. There. Take those unreasonably high expectations, go forth and be disappointed. You have no one to blame but me.Crash
... I was so prepared to find this overrated. And as good as the dialog is, it's still hard not to find the opening act a bit overwrought and filled with characters I doubted I would ever be able to warm to. Like any anthology, some stories are better than others. But man, more than enough of the tales carry their weight. And I cried, which is rare enough to be remarkable. In the intertwined stories arena, this one crushes Magnolia and 21 Grams like bugs. Like bugs, I tell you! Update: I have to add (and expand upon) a note I'd posted elsewhere on Listology: I expect most folks to dislike this movie (actually, I think that's been bourne out at this point). Folks that don't take their movies seriously won't care for the subject matter and folks that do take their movies seriously will resent being so overtly manipulated. Fair enough. I don't know why it didn't bother me, I don't know why I was so hooked, and I don't know why, recogizing as I do the blatant manipulation, I don't move this to "Guilty Pleasures." But I ain't gonna!The Incredibles
... Pixar's just grandstanding now. As if it weren't enough to flaunt a dazzling critical and financial undefeated streak, now they have to tackle the notoriously difficult superhero genre and make what may very well be the new best of breed? If that's not a gratuitous endzone dance, I don't know what is. It's the stories that make all Pixar movies good, but it's the little things that make them great. That they nail the voice talent is a huge plus as well. Whoever cast Holly Hunter should get a raise (move over Jessica Rabbit! (I stole that line from someone, can't remember who)). There is more action here than in any other Pixar movie, with perhaps a touch less heart, but really, who cares when the ride is so much fun?Million Dollar Baby
... First of all, my mom, who hates boxing, still liked this movie. The acting was perfect. Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman turn in great performances, and Hilary Swank tops them. Now that is saying something. A movie that wrenched me around enough emotionally that I couldn't get to sleep, and I never have trouble sleeping. So that's saying something too. Loved it.Sideways
... I'm not often a fan of what I'll call, for lack of a better term, "loser movies", as usually I grow impatient with the characters. I'll dismissively mutter, "Gah, what a loser" and my engagement is shattered (the irony of muttering this alone, in the dark, in front of yet another movie is not lost on me). I had worried that this pointed to some character flaw in myself; some unearned, condescending sense of superiority. But now that I see what a great loser movie looks like, I feel better. These are realistic losers, not characters with contrived flaws in mere service to the plot. They are funny and pathetic in ways we all are. Never would have thought Alexander Payne had it in him. And yes, Giamatti was robbed. Not even a nomination?! For shame.Really Liked
Cellular
... Put your disbelief on a hook, and run it up to the ceiling! While you're at it, put my credibility on a hook and beat it with a tennis racket. Shockingly watchable. Much like Phone Booth, a gimmick movie that works. Our hero is credibly distressed and nervy as he tries to find ways to stay ahead of the bad guys and not lose the call. I've seen plenty of so-called action movies where I watch the clock more than the movie, but this one flew by. It's a genre picture, not high art, but it easily does what it sets out to do, and hey, William H. Macy must have seen something in the script too, right? Beyond the paycheck, that is? Okay, fine, you can stop rolling your eyes now.Closer
... I really thought one of the four leads would disappoint (my money was on Jude Law, even though I usually like him), but they were all top-notch. Great dialog, and a surprisingly watchable trainwreck of cruelty. Often this kind of movie leaves me cold. "Just leave that scumbag(ette)" is my frequent dismissive thought for such movies, but not this one. Now if you'll excuse me, I must bathe.Control Room
... Fascinating look behind-the-scenes at Al Jazeera. No matter where you consume your news--Al Jazeera, Fox, or somewhere else--you should always bring your own salt shaker, but this is nonetheless a fascinating look at the Iraq war from an entirely different (and necessary) perspective. I was quite taken with the U.S. lieutenant's confession/revelation as to his gut reaction to horrible images of Arab victims vs. US victims.Dead Man's Shoes
... I worried a bit that this was just going to be vengeance porn, but I shouldn't have. First, Paddy Considine is simply bottled lightning. That guy should be a much bigger star. Also, the way the movie works the flashbacks in gives it a lot of emotional heft, and I thought the finale really underscored what monsters revenge can make us.District B13
... Much like a Jackie Chan movie, a good part of the appeal here is the physical talents of our hero, David Belle. Cyril Raffaelli is no slouch either, but when Belle jumps through that tiny little window above the door the contest is over before it even begins. Amazing. The movie's pretty fun too, in an Escape from New York kind of way.Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
... I watched this under the worst possible conditions (very stressed about something unresolved, but that's all over now, so I'm good). Even under such circumstances (which undoubtly kept me from full appreciation) I liked it quite a bit. The cast is great, and the unravelling of perception, memory, and love from bloom to wilt is intelligent, touching, and even harrowing. I finally got my wish of a Kaufmann movie with heart.Finding Neverland
... Is it just me, or is this decade producing a particularly good crop of child actors? After seeing this and his Charlie Bucket, I'm thinking young Freddie Highmore might be leading the pack, but Thomas Sangster has certainly demonstrated he can bring it (Love Actually and Nanny McPhee). I was about to comment what a shame it was Rachel Hurd-Wood disappeared after Peter Pan, but I just noticed she's going to be in Tom Tykwer's new thriller, Perfume, so I can comfortably retreat back into my delusions of living in a just world. Hmm, all Brits... I'd put Dakota Fanning on there for Man on Fire, but there's that whole War of the Worlds problem (scroll way, way down)... See how cleverly I've avoided talking about the movie itself? That's my way of covering up for the fact I have nothing to say much beyond this being just good ol' fashioned solid filmmaking. Strong work all around, sweet without being sickly, and always tempering life's little triumphs with its tragedies nicely.Friday Night Lights
... Looking at various opinions around Listology, I expect this one will raise a few eyebrows. The acting and directing, which range from solid to very good, are not what won me over (although I loved a couple of the performances, the documentary feel, and the excellent sense of place derived from all those Texas landscape shots). What got me was sucking me into the alien world of Texas High School Football. I heard it was big, I heard it was akin to religion, but I didn't fully appreciate that before. An impressive attempt to show what happens when a coach, players, and entire town voluntarily throw themselves into a pressure cooker. A very good sports movie, and perhaps the best football movie going.Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
... Chris Columbus is by no means a bad director. Home Alone and Mrs. Doubtfire were both very good in their own niches, but he lacks the darkness and the fantastic vision that these books deserved, and what we ended up with in the first two chapters were mere slavish, slightly workmanlike facsimiles of the books. Enjoyable, but nothing special. Alfonso Cuarón pours his own style into this movie, isn't afraid to interpret the books rather than merely copy them, and proves himself well-suited to the darker material. The look of the movie is beautiful, and the young cast is improving with age. My only real complaint is that he's not directing the next one. It'll be interesting to see how Mike "Four Weddings and a Funeral" Newell handles the task.The Hidden Blade
... It's not quite up there with The Twilight Samurai, but Yôji Yamada sure crafts some fine films, although it's probably a bit easier to string winners together when they are so similar (or does that make it harder?). In my mind, both movies manage to bend time. They are clearly recent films about medieval Japan, but they feel like they were made in the 50s. Anyway, if you want to watch movies about honor, you can't go wrong with either of these, but if you're only going to see one, make it The Twilight Samurai.Hotel Rwanda
... You know a PG-13 movie about genocide (ooh, sorry, the official state department line was "acts of genocide") is going to pull some major punches, but mostly this one gets away with it by instead focussing on Paul Rusesabagina's quiet heroics in giving over 1,200 people refuge at the hotel he manages, ultimately saving them from slaughter. Where this movie is truly wonderful is in making you question if you'd be so brave in the same situation. I'd like to think I would be, but in my heart I'm afraid I wouldn't be man enough. Don Cheadle, as always, gives a worthy, wonderful performance.Howl's Moving Castle
... It's a lot like Miyazaki made a Terry Gilliam movie, and not just in the animation of the eponymous castle itself. It's odder, the ends are looser, and I find myself with more questions than I am entirely comfortable with. Like a copy of a copy of a copy, I wonder if too much was lost going from the English book to the Japanese movie to the English dub? Nonetheless, a fantastically magical world I found myself immersed in, if a bit quizzically.Layer Cake
... A movie often compared to Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Presumably this is because all modern Brit gansters movies are compared to LS&2SB, and because Matthew Vaughn was involved with both (there as a producer, here as director) . The comparision is not particularly apt though, as this story is played straight, at least as far as the humor is concerned (the plot takes plenty of turns). It's more like a Goodfellas. Daniel Craig is fantastic in the lead, and some clever IMDBer compared him to Steve McQueen, a comparison I'll go ahead and agree with. Actually though, while I enjoyed it, the movie's placement wasn't clinched for me until the final scene, which is perfect. I'd have to put it on a "best endings" list, were I to make one.Kill Bill: Vol. 2
... If nothing else, it's a shame this movie was split in two for presumably giving birth to that cringe-inducing fourth-wall breakage that opens this volume. I had hoped that little address was confined to the trailer, but alas. Fortunately the movie quickly recovers with the best chapter of the volume, the chapel massacre. But then it bogs down a bit. Whereas the first volume was the ultimate triumph of style over substance, this volume attempts to inject a bit of substance back in, but oddly I don't think it's the better for it. Still a blast though. The cast is uniformly wonderful, with Carradine and Thurman edging out the rest by a nose. The Thurman/Hannah fight is a treat, and it was nice to get a little backstory on Hannah's character. There's worlds more material to be mined from this universe Tarantino has going, and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more of it. I will close with this: I'm having a hard time reconciling my objections to cinematic revisionism with my desire to see a director's cut that deweinsteinifys the film, and stitches the two volumes back together.Kung Fu Hustle
... Can you watch a Stephen Chow movie and reasonably call any other movie "zany"? I think he's claimed that word for his own. Takes kung fu superpowers to their inevitable extreme (clearly his films take place in The Matrix), all in the slapstickiest of movies. Although it's not all comedy. The main thing that makes this movie work so much better than Shaolin Soccer is the darker moments. The bad guys are bad, and there are amputations and decapitations (albeit bloodless). Basically, this is the movie I was hoping Shaolin Soccer would be.The Machinist
... The problem with these puzzle movies often comes at the end, where the resolution fails to deliver what the buildup promises. Most often (and most disappointingly), the resolution obliterates any emotional involvement you felt during the film. "Oh. Well. It was a dream. Why should I care, then?" I watched this movie with a growing sense of dread that there was no way the ending could do the movie justice, and y'know what? I was wrong. Even more satisfying is the sense that I should have figured it all out in advance but didn't (most of you probably will, though). Christian Bale's performance goes beyond the downright grisly weight loss, although I am going to have to watch Batman Begins soon just to confirm with my own eyes that he pulled through okay.Man on Fire
... After endlessly mocking that godawful Christpher Walken line, "Creasy's art is death and he's about to paint his masterpiece", I'm a bit chagrined that the movie turned out so good (but still, what were they thinking putting the worst line in the trailer? perhaps the PR flacks forgot what trailers are for?). Tony Scott finally one-ups brother Ridley, doing Gladiator one better, while using what is practically the same theme to boot (even voiced by the same singer, Lisa Gerrard). Denzel Washington is a stronger lead and is given a better character arc (as much as I like Russell Crowe), he and Dakota Fanning work fabulously together during the lengthy setup/redemption story, and when we get to the revenge, the action is grim rather than exhilarating (which may be a negative for some). There are some cliches, the parents are weak links in the cast, and the rock-video opening doesn't inspire confidence, but the movie can hang with both Gladiator and The Professional. No small feat. That said, I expect this to be a minority opinion, so feel free to tell me I'm crazy.Mean Creek
... Carly Schroeder is the standout of this youthful and generally excellent cast. Apparently I'm not the only one that noticed, as one of her upcoming projects is a Harrison Ford/Virginia Madsen/Paul Bettany movie. Even though I loved Stand By Me I wish this didn't beg comparisons. There are too many similarities to ignore, but this had a more authentic feel, and is engrossing in a darker manner, as it lacks any amount of Wonder Years feel.Outfoxed
... Everybody should watch this movie. I'm sure that elicts eye-rolls from my Republican friends, but I say that not because I think watching it will send anybody running into the arms of the Democrats. Instead, just watch it to realize just how politicized the "news" is. Sure, the movie picks on FOX for taking propaganda to the next level, but all big media TV "news" is spin. If you're just getting your "news" from one place, you're doomed to never have an informed opinion. Diversity is a virtue, in news sources and just about everything else. Even diversity probably isn't enough these days. If you want U.S. news rather than "news", get it from overseas. As for the movie itself, the interstitials are too PowerPoint, but the footage taken straight from FOX broadcasts is simultaneously outrageous and sadly amusing, while the number of disgruntled employees they managed to dig up is impressive.Shaun of the Dead
... My favorite zombie movie so far (not that I've seen all that many). It's not straight horror, and is instead a zombie romantic comedy, laced with a touch of gore. Like any movie, genre-flick or otherwise, it works because it invests us in the characters. Pure fun, and I enjoyed watching how long it takes everyone to even notice the zombies. Scenes to watch for are Shaun groggily stumbling through his morning shamble to the convenience store, unaware of the apocalypse around him, and of course the fabulous vinyl album scene.Spider-Man 2
... Let me first say that J.K. Simmons is perfect (perfect!) as J. Jonah Jameson. I grinned from ear-to-ear every moment he was on-screen. As for the rest, the melodrama and sometimes-regrettable dialog are still here, and still not really bothering me. The character arcs are bit more interesting, and the CGI is much improved. This may mark the first time a CGI stand-in was done well enough for such extended periods that I was able to maintain a vicarious sense of danger. Spider-man has much greater weight and realistic fluidity to him, and his fight scenes with Doc Ock were excellent, particularly the train. Not perfect, but really well done. That said, I could never get over being distracted by the fact that only Doc's arms are superhuman. The rest of him is a doughy middle-aged scientist, and yet he is able to shrug off numerous crushing blows to the head and chest that should have turned him to goo. I guess I forgot to put that on the scaffold as I was suspending my disbelief.Super Size Me
... Sure we all knew fast food was unhealthy, but did we really have any idea it was THIS unhealthy? Hell, Spurlock's doctors didn't come anywhere close to predicting the precipitousness of his decline. Spurlock's larger messages--that obesity is not a mere question of lack of will, that fast food industries are selling an addictive dangerous product on par with cigarettes or other drugs, and that the industry ultimately does (or should) bear a big fatty globule of responsibility for this current health crisis--gets a bit lost in the gimmickry of watching Spurlock vomit, get fat, and have heart palpitations. But I don't know if these messages get a bit buried because of Spurlock's presentation, or because we are all just (wrongly) inclined to believe that fat people are fat by choice to a greater degree than victims of any other addiction. Of course, as a parent the school lunch stuff was particularly interesting, and incidentally, we let our 7 and 3-year-olds watch this, and they liked it. The part they wanted to watch twice? The gastric bypass surgery. Oh, I don't know if this was in theaters, but you definitely have to check out the the special feature, "The Smoking Fry". It's a simple experiment that demonstrates a rather interested property of McDonald's french fries.Uncovered: The War on Iraq
... It's possible I could have gotten behind the Iraq war were the merits of conducting a humanitarian mission debated nationally, and sold to our allies internationally. But instead the administration went with the WMD and terrorism pack of lies to launch a "preemptive war", and it's a crying shame. This all relates to the movie, of course, which lays the lies bare. By now everybody knows the Iraq War sales pitch was the product of either gross incompetence or deliberate lies and distortions. I would have thought these facts alone would have swept this administration from office, and I find myself getting depressed all over again that somehow the majority of Americans didn't care about being sold a war (a war!) with a forged bill of goods.A Very Long Engagement
... The opening 10 minutes is masterful, as we are introduced to key characters in the trenches of WWI. You really appreciate how much it must suck to slog through shin deep muddy water 24/7, even though the filmmakers never overtly call attention to that little hell among the big hell. I do think I've now seen one too many Jeunet sex montages, so he can probably go ahead and retire that device. I felt like the movie bogged down a bit in the subsequent half-hour, and Audrey Tautou is surprisingly dour, but then the mystery and the romance grabbed me, and she (and the movie) really started to work for me.The Woodsman
... There are some directorial annoyances, the big one being that flash of Kevin Bacon beating himself up (just in case we couldn't tell where that rage was coming from), but Bacon is riveting, so those and other shortcomings hardly matter.Glad I Saw
13 Going On 30
... Big, but with way more cringing. For example, instead of the whimsically exhilarating piano scene, you have the cringe-inducing Thriller scene. Don't get me wrong, I *enjoyed* that scene, but it's a very different feeling (and you have to not mind movies where there's no problem 80s pop can't solve). But really the movie is all about Jennifer Garner, who carries the movie on her mighty shoulders (and I do mean mighty - I wish I had shoulders cut like that). She is amazingly game as she pulls off scene-after-scene that must have been quite embarrassing to film, but no hint of self-consciousness--which would have been crippling--is ever evident. In a way it's unfair to compare this to Big, as that movie handles a purely physical transformation, while this movie is an actual leap forward in time, and thus presents a very different set of problems for our heroine to overcome. My wife loved it, and I liked it. Another good movie to watch with donuts (if you can stand all the sweetness, but I have a whole mouthful of sweet teeth).2046
... Personally, from the neck up, I loved this movie. But shouldn't a movie so much about love hit me somewhere (anywhere) below the neck as well? I already knew why Tony Leung was such a big star, which left room for Zhang Ziyi's star to shine on my appreciative horizon. I thought she only had two speeds: beautiful and petulant, so witnessing the impressive range and vulnerability she displayed here was a treat.3-Iron
... Interesting, enjoyable, and watchable, but is "inscrutable" really the best choice for your characters' predominant trait? Still, a unique and almost dream-like experience, which the epilogue suggests was the point.Born Into Brothels
... "The women ask me, 'when are you going to join the line?' They say it won't be long." Great subject; heroic people; adorable, sympathetic, and talented kids. Somehow lacking as a compelling documentary though. Strange. I was very tired, so perhaps that's it. You know what amazed me the most? How truly awful some of the adults were (see earlier quote).Collateral
... In honor of James "we should all be dead / they must have done something to us" Cameron, one of the golden rules of moviemaking should be, "if you have a crippling plot hole, don't have one of your characters point it out." There is no good answer to the question "why didn't you just get a different cab driver", a problem that one can't shake throughout the movie, so really it's not a question Foxx's characters should ask out loud. It's a shame about that and various other implausibilities, including a big fat unbelieveable coincidence (not to mention the jarring lupine music video), because I liked the movie otherwise. Cruise makes a great villain.Dawn of the Dead
... Let's talk zombie taxonomy: on the one hand you've got your common, garden variety shamblers, and then on the other you've got yer sprinters. Man, I hope when the apocalypse comes we get shamblers. A better sprinter movie than 28 Days Later (are there other examples of this relatively rare breed?). The characters are all instantly recognizeable, but I didn't really mind the shorthand, and they are fleshed out well enough we hope for their survival (or painful demise). The first 10 minutes hits so fast and hard, and there are a few other brilliant sequences. Along for the ride are some cliches, groaner moves, and logical lapses, but hey, it's a zombie flick, and a pretty darn good one at that. A poor man's Aliens.Fat Albert
... What can I say? I liked it, and I don't even feel guilty about it! Standard disclaimers apply.The Final Cut
... Interesting idea: many folks get a prenatal implant that records all their experiences from birth to death. In the end a movie gets cut from the footage and shown at their funeral. The protest angle seems heavily forced (too bad it's key), but I do like mulling over what such a world would mean for interpersonal relations. Do you act differently when you think you might be filmed (implants are fairly common, but you don't find out if you have one until (if) your parents tell you about it)? Interesting despite its flaws.Garden State
... As pretty as she is, I'm not one of these guys that prostrates myself before the altar of Natalie Portman's beauty. She is, however, the linchpin of this movie, and I can't imagine it without her. I will make a mildly embarrassing confession and admit that I liked the movie a bit more once it started to descend into cliche.Ginger Snaps: Unleashed
... A sequel that outdoes the original in darkness and creepiness. I don't think it surpasses the original across the board, and mostly lacks that whole burgeoning sexuality metaphor that helped make the first one so interesting (not that they should have repeated themselves here), but it's certainly a worthy horror sequel. More work for Emily Perkins, please.In Good Company
... Had high hopes for this, given my love for About a Boy, but unfortunately it doesn't quite deliver. Still enjoyable, and I like Dennis Quaid in just about anything.Maria Full of Grace
... Who knew that Columbian "mules" were so pretty? The movie pretty effectively renders explicit (without being overly graphic) what women who transport drugs in their stomachs might go though but, while worth watching, it doesn't quite pack the emotional punch it should. Still worth a viewing though.The Manchurian Candidate
... What a difference a cast can make! Denzel Washington really is the best thing going these days, and here shows remarkable restraint in not overplaying our hero's addled (to say the least) mental state. Liev Schreiber turns in similarly good work. I do think Meryl Streep was over the top though, as much as it pains me to give her anything less than a glowing review. Cast aside, and with the chips down, I have to say it's another remake that doesn't quite bring enough to the table, even if it does go in a couple new and interesting directions. Not nearly the "why remake such a great movie?" travesty I was expecting.Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
... I can see where you'd compare this to Spinal Tap if you simply think all heavy metal (or Metallica in particular) is a joke. I didn't really have a Spinal Tap experience with this movie though. It's clear these guys are all passionate about their work, and the clash of egos, therapy double-speak, and passive-aggressive tactics were all fascinating. There are a bunch of great, raw moments in the doc: Dave Mustaine appearing to lay bare his feelings about getting kicked out of Metallica and subsequent years of feeling inadequate and inferior, Lars Ulrich's "fuck" rant directed at James Hetfield, and poor Kirk Hammett, playing the doe-eyed kid stuck between two warring parents. Of course, lyrics like "my lifestyle determines my deathstyle" makes it tempting to watch this as one big parody, but for me it was still more of a human drama.Millions
... It's entirely possible I liked this even more than I think I did, as it was my second movie of the day and I was sick as a dog watching it. A sweet and poignant tale, not overwrought, and nice interplay between the two boys. For me it's best captured in a scene dismissed by some as gratuitous on the IMDb boards. Anthony (older brother) tells Damien (younger brother) to shut the door, as he's going to show him something naughty on the Internet. He goes to a lingerie page (his Dad must have good filters on that computer). It starts off as oh-so-mildly sexual, but quickly changes to something else upon Damien's reaction. It's amazing how the kid has that effect.Miracle
... If nothing else, this movie underscores the importance of a having good goalie. But it also serves as a good-enough telling of a great story; yet another example of a story that you'd roll your eyes at were it fiction. Even as the 1980 Olympic hockey team swallowed their egos to play a team game, so too with the actors here, who just give themselves over to the service of the story, with very little in the way of showy theatrics. Even Kurt Russell disappears into his role, and I don't think I've ever seen him do that before.National Treasure
... I thought this would be a guilty pleasure at best, but the movie works much better than it deserves to. Nicholas Cage has pretty much got this particular class of hero role down pat, and Helen Kruger works much better as an uber-librarian than as Helen of Troy. Very good genre heroine, actually. More believably intelligent that a certain Bond girl/physicist, to say the least. One particularly nice thing about this one was that everyone behaves intelligently. Bad guys don't get caught monologging, and are on the heels of the good guys through reasonable actions. Also, if you don't mind guns and explosions, it's otherwise enjoyable family fare. Our foursome all liked it.Shrek 2
... A very pleasant surprise, especially since I thought this was going to be a dog. While the original has fallen over time from "great" to "merely good" in my estimation, this sequel lives up to that lowered bar. There's no need to waste time with character development since that was all laid out a movie ago, so we can get right into the gags and the plot. The story is entertaining, and flows naturally from the conclusion of the original. The animation is richer, but strangely the body english seemed a touch off at times, something I didn't notice in the first one. Eddie Murphy does not steal the show this time around, probably because he doesn't have as much to work with here. Happily this leaves the show-stealing niche open for Antonio Banderas, who fills it to the brim. Finally, the moral of the story here doesn't share the inconsistencies of the original.Troy
... This one plays pretty fast and loose with Homer's source material, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you're going to take liberties I don't really understand why one would choose to tackle the central problem of rendering the Iliad for a modern audience head on and have it knock you back on your ass. Namely, it is possible to sell going to war over a woman in mytho-poetic literary history, but it is not possible (so far, anyway) to sell it cinematically without it being deeply troubling. Constant nagging thoughts along the lines of "she's not worth it", "he's a moron", and "oh, he's a moron too" tend to detract from the experience. The Achilles/Briseis relationship doesn't really fly either, and Hector/Andromache are not given enough screen time to develop properly. Come to think of it, all the women get short shrift. But Pitt's Achilles manages to be an appropriate mix of formidable, arrogant, petulant, childish, and cynical, apropos of being the rock star/killing machine Homer makes him, and Bana's Hector gets enough moments with his babies and those soulful eyes to imbue his story with pathos. Bana's performance wasn't powerful - I'm not even sure it was particularly good - but for me it was effective. What we really needed was more screen time for Peter O'Toole (nails Priam's appeal to Achilles), Sean Bean (milks his bit-part Odysseus for all it's worth. Man, talk about underrated and underused - has this guy ever been anything but great?), and Troy in general (the sack of Troy was disheartening, but it could have been wrenching). This just occurred to me: believe it or not, I wish it had been longer. If we could have spent more time in Troy with her people, we would have gone beyond entertainment to tragedy. Boy, what a lot of grousing over a movie I liked!Two Brothers
... Surprisingly good. I had a hard time getting into it as I was too preoccupied with reassuring my daughters in the wake of one Bambiesque tragedy after another. Dark and perhaps complex for a kids movie, but I'm probably just underestimating the young'uns again.Guilty Pleasures
Around the World in 80 Days
... Fun for the whole family. My family, anyway. I don't know about your family.AVP: Alien Vs. Predator
... Not as bad as I feared, but pretty bad, happily in a highly heckleable way. My wife watched the beginning of this with me, and it was more fun when she was there to banter with, but after the movie (or I) drove her away the fun lagged. The finale is actually pretty strong, even if the final punchline is incredibly lame. Speaking of lame, they did that Predator invisibility effect much better in 1987. And has anyone else noticed that Lance Henriksen's voice is not as interesting as it once was? I've made this sound awful, and the nonsensicalness of it pretty much is, but there's fun to be had.The Chronicles of Riddick
... You could make a respectable drinking game out of watching for Vin Diesel making a slow turn over his left shoulder and casting a menacing stare. You could also get a good buzz going if you drank every time a character's line was designed solely to remind the audience of some earlier plot point, lest they get lost. The dialog is always portentous, and sprinkled liberally with unintentional howlers. And yet I must admit I enjoyed the big dumb lug (I'm still talking about the movie) even beyond using it as hecklin' fodder. But if that's all you get out of it, fine. It's a GREAT movie to heckle. I'll give you an advance tip: when one of the bad guys starts monologging about the "second 'verse", you can slip in "same as the first, little bit louder and a little bit worse" to devastating effect.Dodgeball
... I actually wasn't feeling all that much guilt until the movie was over and my wife turned to me and said, "you know how people talk about chick flicks? Well that was the biggest guy movie I've ever seen." She's seen her fair share (okay, probably more than her share) of Bruckheimer and Farrelly Brothers movies, and has never expressed such a sentiment to me, so I'm attaching particular significance to Dodgeball getting singled out. She thought it was stupid, I thought it was hilarious. Needless to say, your mileage may vary. I think she'd at least agree with me that Justin Long was very funny, and a comedic actor to watch. Check the special feature where he gets beaned over and over and over. It's impossible to tell when he's acting, and when he's genuinely asking for mercy from the crew. I found his torment side-splitting, a fact which probably doesn't speak well of me. Oh, my wife and I do agree that the movie is worth renting for the Lance Armstrong cameo alone. It really is that funny.The Forgotten
... I was going to list this as good, but then I read Roger Ebert's review and now I feel all guilty.Night Watch
... I wish Roger Ebert a speedy recovery, so he can come back to writing gems like this: "I confess to a flagging interest in the struggle between the forces of Light and Darkness. It's like Super Sunday in a sport I do not follow, like tetherball." For me, the dig is even more apt when applied to the vampire vs. werewolf "action" in the Underworld movies, as this was more like a sport I don't follow, but is fun to watch anyway, like badminton.Saw
... I can almost overlook the dazzling array of improbabilities that leads to such a fun ending. Otherwise, not bad. Certainly not as bad as many critics would have me believe. It wasn't even as gory as I thought it would be (or I've just grown numb). I'm also kinda surprised by the Cary Elwes complaints I've read, as I'd be more inclined to attribute any problems there to the script rather than the actor.Starsky & Hutch
... Committed to an evening of junk, I picked this up to go with the donuts as my wife took the evening off from her studies. Just about perfect, for our purposes. Biggest shock is that Snoop Dogg is the best thing about the movie, and yet it's watchable. I'm sure it also helps that we like Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller. If you don't like them, this is not the movie to turn you around.Without a Paddle
... Our three leads are fun enough to make this a guilty pleasure, even if it flirts with going too heavy on the guilt, too light on the pleasure at times. If the trailer made you laugh, the movie probably will too.Could Have Missed
50 First Dates
... What an incredibly frustrating movie. Really good mainstream romantic comedies are so few and far between, and here we have one! It's there, right on the screen, for all to see! And yet it's sweetness is obfusticated by puerile, distracting humor that overshadows the entire first act, and continues to taint the rest of the movie (thankfully to a much smaller degree). Compounding the frustration is that these issues could have been completely solved in the editing room. Dump the East European she-male and dial back Rob Schneider and you've got a winner. Argh! Even so, when the movie works it successfully blends Memento and Groundhog Day in a delicious gooey treat. They must have read Tarantino's observation about Memento's big flaw ("Good movie! But there's a hole, okay? And it's this! How, okay, does he remember... his own fuckin' condition?"), because they steer clear of that here, and I was surprised and elated that the ending didn't cop out. Almost good, but could have been very good.Ella Enchanted
... "The curse of obedience" is a decent plot device, Anne Hathaway and Cary Elwes are good, and the kids loved it.Hellboy
... Right on the cusp of being good, but I checked my watch a few too many times. I can't really put my finger on where it went wrong for me. Perhaps the the failure was in the Hellboy/Myers relationship, which never really gets that "buddy cop" vibe going. Hellboy himself doesn't have much of a character arc (although Ron Perlman does the best possible job with the material), and the ending is pretty uninspiring (I rarely enjoy film fights where the size mismatch is so huge as to eliminate the possibility of hand-to-hand combat). Well, with all the establishing shots accomplished, maybe the sequel will deliver. I have to admit, even after this mediocre outing, I'm looking forward to it.I, Robot
... Some of the action suffers from the video game effect, where the tension is drained by the subliminal impression that the worst fate Will Smith can suffer is a blinking GAME OVER emblazoned across the screen should he be overcome. Still, much of the CGI is surprisingly satisfying, especially in the almost diaphanous rendering of the robots. You can almost imagine you see the ghost in the shell yourself. There's a good movie here, but frustratingly they don't quite hit the mark. The bigotry themes are clunky, the pacing lags, and Smith doesn't have the range to play tortured without just seeming like he's angry all the time.Intimate Strangers
... A shame, as I just got through talking up My Best Friend and Patrice Leconte in general, so my wife joined me for this one, and of course it was the first sub-par Leconte movie I've seen. Ah well, it wasn't bad.Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
... Between Jude Law (inspired casting) and Billy Connelly, this is a movie with some pretty darn good voices. As much as I generally enjoy Jim Carrey, I thought he was a pretty major distraction. The kids were great (both as actors and characters), and the movie had all the makings of a delightfully dark new fable, but the tone shift every time Carrey showed up really undermined that. Not to mention Cedric the Entertainer or Dustin Hoffman, of whose casting I can make no sense. The don't really get to do anything, so all you get is the flash of recognition bouncing you out of the moment. Maybe they have big plans for them in the sequel, if they make one.Napoleon Dynamite
... An excellent example of why you should always finish what you start. There were a few points where I almost gave in and went to bed, but then I would have missed our hero's moment in the sun, and it sure is worth it. I started to enjoy the movie a bit more around halfway through, when I figured there must be some kind of self-esteem inversion going on. In high school you were almost certainly hypersensitive about being some kind of uber-misfit, even though you weren't. In this movie, our hero IS an uber-misfit, but is less sensitive to it. Said another way, he's the geek everybody thinks they are, but somehow with more confidence.Sleepover
... Not really my thing, has a very made-for-TV feel, but Alexa Vega makes a nice heroine, it's a fine tweener movie, and the girls liked it, so who am I to judge?Should Have Missed
Birth
... The bottom line is that I just didn't care about anybody in this movie.Garfield
... Nothing here for me, but the kids loved it. Especially the three-year-old, who was probably more engrossed by this than anything else she's seen (Super Size Me is her runner-up :-).Home on the Range
... I recently wrote of Brother Bear, "Disney hand animation goes out with a whimper instead of a bang." My bad, I forgot about Home on the Range. If the former was the whimper, then this is the death rattle. The voice casting ranges from uninspired to abrasive, and as long as I'm lazily cobbling together snippets from earlier reviews, let me repeat the comment I made upon learning Judi Densch was going to be in The Chronicles of Riddick: "Never give a serious British actor an Oscar, I say. Not if you want them to stay that way, anyway. Well, I guess they stay British." As for the animation itself, if Disney were on the rise, the Samurai Jackish style would be bold, but with their fortunes waning it just looks like they made the movie on the cheap. On the bright side, Amelia liked it.Catch that Kid
... The kids liked it, and I have to cringe and admit I liked the schmaltzy ending.Harold and Kumar go to White Castle
... Just didn't strike my funny bone, although I did think the DVD menu was quite amusing, and I was engaged enough with our titular heroes to enjoy the ending.House of Flying Daggers
... Well, I suppose if you keep a favorite director long enough it's inevitable that he'll disappoint you. While still my favorite, Zhang Yimou is no longer undefeated in my book. The dialogue is either awful, or loses much more in translation than your typical subtitled film. The romance simply doesn't work. Some of the plot twists are interesting, but they come far too late to make a difference in the opinion I'd already formed. "Dialogue, romance, plot? So what, it's a kung fu movie, what about the action?" Fair question. I found the action disappointing as well, at the very least in relation to the excellent Hero. The lack of martial artists in the cast shows in the number of cuts, there's no real tension, and most of the fights are unsatisflying resolved by some unseen powerful third party. Even Zhang's famed painterly eye let me down a bit here, as the clash of color and texture was too busy for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, it's still prettier than 99% of the movies out there, but not up to his usual standards. Ah well, hopefully this is just a one-picture stumble, and he'll regain his feet in his next outing.Mean Girls
... Give me 48 hours and I will forget this movie entirely. Let's just pretend that happened already. I will say that the cast was pretty good though.The Punisher
... Read my Payback review, but imagine how it would have read without Mel Gibson in it. I'd probably write something like that here.Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
... The movie could have done with a cast inversion, moving the more interesting Angelina Jolie and Giovanni Ribisi to the fore and shoving Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow to the back. I kept hoping that Paltrow's maddening character would suffer a quick demise during any one of her MANY trips back into peril to retrieve her camera,(I can't imagine that's really a spoiler unless this happens to be the first movie you're watching in your life). I admire the chutzpah required to make a classic science fiction movie without a trace of irony, but at the same time I think such a quest is Quixotic at best. The CGI art deco sets and sequences are indeed beautiful (when they aren't underlit), but y'know what? I wasn't all that crazy about art deco in the first place, and the action is uninvolving, as is so often the case with these Mary Poppinsian CGI efforts.Spoiler: Highlight to viewbut it never happensSpanglish
... Tea Leoni does a great job playing a terrible role. I'm sure Brooks and the script dictated she play a Frankenshrew, a caricature of a bundle of cringe-inducing neuroses, but to what end? Is it a romantic comedy centered around a maniac? The movie did keep my attention, as I watched the other characters try to deal with this alien in their midst, so that's something.The Stepford Wives
... Actually not a bad comedy in the first half, although Nicole Kidman employs a bit too much arm-waving in her various states of being tightly wound or vigorously unspooled. There's really no thrills, so attempts to make a comedo-thriller fail, and I can't help but be irritated by the doppleganger bodies being completely pointless. As near as I can tell they exist only for that one scene from the trailer where the one on the slab opens its empty eye sockets and everybody fails to jump. Ah well, there was still some fun to be had, just not enough of it.The Terminal
... The light given off by Tom Hanks is sucked away by several gaping black holes. I mean, most of the movie feels like it's written by the Forrest Gump guy (a movie I enjoyed, even if I greatly resent its "Best Picture" win), except for Catherine Zeta-Jones' part. Why they pulled some worm out from under a rock just to write her part, I have no idea. Stanley Tucci does as much as he can with not very much.Thunderbirds
... If this movie depended on the Tracy family (our ostensible heroes) it would truly belong in the sub-basement. None of them, nor any of the big(ish) name actors hit the campy tone right, and by missing the mark manage to nail personal worsts. The supporting cast provides some saving grace though, particularly Lady Penelope, Parker, and Tin-tin. Thank God for women and butlers.Wimbledon
... Has a mushy first serve. I actually thought I might have been enjoying this. Here's what went through my head: "Wow, this isn't bad, this is crackling right alone, really. I'm probably in the home stretch now. Let me just steal a glace at the clock.... WHAT?! I've only been sitting here for 40 minutes? How can that be? How the hell are they going to fill the last hour?!" Indeed, that problem plagued me for the next hour. It's not a bad movie, it just feels stretched out, even at a perfectly reasonable running time. It does have its moments though; the scenes with the ballboy were handled with a surprisingly light touch, and I still like Paul Bettany, and wouldn't yet rule him out as leading man material (albeit probably in the niche formerly occupied by Hugh Grant before he vacated it for more caddish fare). Heck, if you're looking for a romantic comedy and you've already seen the 20 or so legitimately good ones in existence, you might want to consider this one next.El Sucko Grande
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
... I can't. Believe. I watched. The. Whole. Thing.Blade: Trinity
... Damn, what's with all the cutsy names? "Nightstalkers", "Daystar", some other thing they call those UV-exploding tip projectiles, etc. And what kind of super-villain runs away upon first encounter with our hero? The newcomers try to breathe a little life into the franchise, but they don't have enough to work with and, as much as I like Wesley Snipes, they don't get any help either. The filmmaker's should have quit while they were ahead. They already got a good sequel break with Guillermo Del Toro's Blade II, and lightning doesn't strike twice. Oh, and vampires have the worst hair (and apparently, in this movie, have no real powers whatsoever).Creep
... Boy, you start off thinking our heroine is going to be the most annoying charcter, but she gets topped. Fortunately, that guy is only around for a few minutes, so he doesn't have to suffer the indignity of losing his title when our heroine turns up the annoyingness late in the game. Not really sure why you'd choose to make the bulk of your characters insufferable. It starts off well enough with the sewer guys, but then it's all downhill. There's one guy with a Scottish accent, so that's good, at least. Went from bad to sucky when they had the bad guy at their mercy and didn't finish him off not once, but twice. Really, it's a slasher movie that Franka Potente tricked me into watching. Until now, I've liked every movie I've seen her in. So much for that streak!The Day After Tomorrow
... My wife and I had quite a bit of fun watching this, but it was all at the expense of the movie. The science is ridiculous (of course), the characters and cliches are thinner and thicker (respectively) than even I would expect, and the big action set pieces play poorly enough on the small screen that I have to wonder if they came anywhere close to working on the big screen. I used to think I was the King of Schlock, and that I could derive non-ironic enjoyment from movies such as these, but either blockbusters are getting worse, or I've been poisoning my mind with too many classics. I should probably run out and rent Van Helsing before it's too late. On the bright side, I will be working the phrase "super-cooled air from the upper troposphere" into my day-to-day speech as much as possible. I've already blamed one foggy windshield and one under-performing Thanksgiving fire on that peculiar atmospheric phenomenon, so I'm off to a great start. My wife may disagree.Flight of the Phoenix
... In a brilliant move, the filmmakers make the sniping and backbiting among characters so annoying that we can't wait for them to start working on the damn plane so they'll shut the hell up already. Giovanni Ribisi's character has some perplexing psychotic interludes, but what do you expect from a guy that goes trekking around the world with big, full-color brochures from his employer tucked into his ruck sack? While our "heros" spend waaaay too much voluntary time in the sun, at least nobody drinks so thirstily that they spill water down their fronts, which really should be a bigger no-no in "lost in the desert" movies than it is.Mulan II
... Anybody that thinks there's a ghost of a chance Disney will do a good job making sequels of the Pixar movie they tragically have the rights to should have a couple kids, institute a family movie night, and then start working their way through the extant Disney sequels. You will then be able to witness first-hand how they are not only disappointing on their own merits, but manage to sully the originals. On the other hand, it's interesting to experience the Eddie Murphy imitator. What is it that Murphy does that makes him so funny, and this sound-alike not? Indefinable greatness. I should remember this next time I think any ol' shmoe can act, and movie stars are just lucky enough to have the opportunities.Ocean's Twelve
... Has much more in common with the 1960 original than the enjoyable first Soderbergh/Clooney outing. That is not a compliment. Like the Sinatra version, the only thing this movie has going for it is that the stars involved have charisma to burn, even when mailing it in (Roberts, Cheadle, and Damon came to play though). In 1960 we had Sinatra in friends getting paid to share in-jokes on-screen after club gigs, and 44 years later we have Clooney and pals getting paid to share in-jokes on screen while they see the sights in Europe. And in a few years (or right now), this one'll be just as dated and unwatchable as that one. A few good moments try to pull this one out of the basement (pulling Damon's leg, the impersonation scene, the guy in the suitcase (even though there was no reason for him to be in there, as near as I can tell)), but they can't hold on and it breaks its neck falling back down the stairs. Soderbergh's worst. I still love many of the players involved with this movie, but not for this, NOT for this.Shark Tale
... By halfway through our three-year-old started playing with toys, and at the end our seven-year-old assessed it as "kinda boring.". Most of the gags were stale and dated before the paint was dry on the first print. First Antz gets crushed by a Bug's Life and now this gets KO'd by Finding Nemo. Dreamworks should NOT be stepping into the ring with Pixar. Forget about skill, they don't even make the weight.Throwdown
... I really wanted to finish this so I could notch my first judo movie, but it sucked too hard and I had to turn it off. Even the old "fast-forward at time-and-a-half" trick couldn't make it go by quickly enough. Guess I'll have to wait for a better judo movie to come along.Van Helsing
... Van Boring. Then again, maybe I was watching a videogame and they forgot to give me the joystick with my rental.Unranked
Downfall
... What I saw of this was excellent, but I fell asleep in the middle so only caught the first and last 45 minutes (I was overtired and knew I should have just gone to bed, but I was waiting up for my wife, who was working late). Kicking myself, because after seeing the beginning and the end I didn't feel like watching the whole thing again from top to bottom to get the full experience. I'll hit it again some day, when enough time has gone by.Primer
... I couldn't possibly rank this one without seeing it again. Perhaps the first "puzzle movie" to completely leave me in the dust. Even on second viewing, how would I rank a movie so impressive for its time-travel plotting and ultra-realistic acting, and yet so emotionally uninvolving? This is true fly-on-the-wall filmmaking, so perhaps suffers from the fact that most of us wouldn't come off as particularly interesting if you dropped cameras into our homes and spliced documentaries out of the footage, even if we are doing such heady work as inventing time travel in our garages. I admire this movie the way I admire the Rubik's Cube. But I've gone on far too long, as Seattle Maggie beat me to the punch, writing the review I would have written, only better.
Cloned From:
"...but strangely the body english seemed a touch off at times."
I agree totally, I noted that in my review as well. In your 2001: movies seen, I agree with you again, this time on Mulholland Drive.
I just re-read your review of Shrek 2 and we're pretty much in sync, although I'm guessing I liked it a bit more than you. Very strange about the body language being wrong. And you're right on the money - where I noticed it was in the arm gestures.
Funny about Mulholland Drive - I completely forgot my own initial reticence and only recalled liking it!
hey Jim mate, how do you create those big yellow Bars?? its killing me! ive been trying to figure it out but i give up!
:-)
_<h2>Text</h2>
Note the preceding underscore to suppress the bullet.
ty! im still "learning The Ropes" Here really.
(tho been a member for about 2 months)
Ty for your help bb
I see you loved Bourne Supremecy, a very good film indeed. Great review too. But I was too dissapointed in the transition from second act to third act, it seem like a lot of scenes were thrown in just to be able to end the movie in a (two words, metal box + running =). Anywho, still a good un though. Collateral is really good for about an hour and 30 and then veers into last act stupidity. Spiderman 2 is the only movie I've seen this year that nailed that transition, I'll call it "The Summer Blockbuster foible". I'm counting on "Hero" to restore my faith. (it's a 2002 movie though)
T'ho
:?)
You've prompted me to explore what the 3-act structure really means. Crafty Screenwriting has a good description ("The basic idea of drama having three acts goes back to Aristotle. In the beginning, or first act, you get your hero up a tree. In the middle, or second act, he tries to get out of the tree, but ends up even further up the tree. In the finale, or last act, he climbs down or falls out of the tree."), and then debunks the myth that it's the only way to write a good movie.
Where do you feel the second act ends and the third act begins in Supremacy? It almost seems to me like the movie has a greatly protracted second act, capped off with a brief coda.
Ouch, now I have to use my brain.
hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Okay, mall, subway, locked door.
It's been 2 months but here it is and backward at that.
Car chase definately third act, I would have to say the third act begins with his memory of the execution in the hotel room. The hidden badguy becomes evident and the movie thrusts forward with the violent intensity of the first act. Basically that's when the story starts to congeal towards an ending.
Good quote.
Good article too, maybe I should say the 4th act doesn't work, the hostile kidnapping of Daines to the motel. Ooooo now I have a more in depth way to complain. Thanks J.
T'ho
:?)
hehehe, I've read quite a bit about three act structure, but never come across that description! Neato.
Re: 50 First Dates "Dump the East European she-male and dial back Rob Schneider...."
I believe that they refer to it as "playing to your base."
While it occassionally contributes to a vague sense of self-loathing, I actually count myself as part of that base. This movie wanted to target both his base and my wife (and presumably the demographics she represents), but you can't have it both ways. And in this case, the sweet stuff was just so much better than the Waterboyish stuff, so the presense of the latter felt out-of-context and irritating.
Sweet! Are these all the 2004 movies you've seen? Maybe there is another film fanatic who has seen as few 2004 releases as I have!
Yeah, I don't get out to the theaters much. Two or three times a year or so.
Jim, I would have seen The Bourne Supremacy anyway, so I don't blame you for my bad experience with it. I could hardly disagree with you more over this one. See my own reaction, you know where. [Lazy bertie!]
Ouch.
We do disagree, but I could have seen this coming a mile away. Not in your case specifically, but in general I figured this would be a polarizing movie, and the reason is (IMO) the handheld camera work and editing. It seems every time a movie comes along with large amounts of handheld camera work half the people describe it as "nauseating" and the other half as, ummm, "not nauseating". I too am often frustrated by hard-to-follow action editing, but not here for some reason.
Did you really not even like the climactic car chase? If so, that does slightly surprise me, as I would have thought even folks that hated the rest of the movie would have liked that chase scene.
But hey, thanks for following the instructions in my review ("Take those unreasonably high expectations, go forth and be disappointed.")!
Jim, something else. I can't respect a 'makeshift bomb' scene in which our hero walks up to the gas pipe, disconnects it with his bare hands in about two seconds - that is what he did wasn't it? - jams a magazine in a toaster for a fuse and then saunters out, timing things perfectly to blast the team of baddies that arrive just too late but just in time.
I will concede that the car chase was the best part of the action - and, as you know, I like car chase scenes - but even this failed to come anywhere near redeeming this threat to gastric equilibrium.
I don't recall the bare hands part, but I'll agree with you that that's cheesy if so (yes, I probably will rewatch this one someday :-). I don't have as big a problem with the timing though. There was a window a couple minutes wide where the bomb going off would have been effective. That it appears to go off at precisely the right moment inside that window doesn't really bother me.
Jim, you're right about the nice timing. All 'makeshift bomb' scenes have the nice timing and so - fair enough - no problem - scratch that as criticism - but, still, if my perception of the bare hands is correct, that's a big wheel of ripe cheese.
I recommend the new German film Der Untergang. Unfortunately a US-release date has not yet been announced.
Thanks for the tip! I'll keep an eye out.
I'm really glad you thought Before Sunset was great, Jim! It's definitely my favorite movie of the year so far. I was also glad to see it as #173 on the IMDB's top 250 (as of 11/16/2004). It would seem like such a talky movie wouldn't fare too well with Joe Moviegoer, but no, the people have spoken, and they love Before Sunset. The Academy won't like it, of course, but let's root for it for the critics' awards.
Y'know, I still can't believe they took the concept of "two people talking for 80 minutes" and made such a watchable, romantic movie. Heck, I still can't believe I was willing to rent it knowing that! Anyway, definitely add me to the Listology chorus of praise for the movie.
Y'know, I loved the movie too. If it weren't for the fact that Eternal Sunshine came out this year, it would be the best romance of 2004.
Of the 69 movies in my queue, only Eternal Sunshine is a "long wait". Sigh.
Hey Jim,
This could be because I have had it sitting on my coffee table for about a month now. Hopefully this holiday weekend I will actually slow down enough to watch it.
jgandcag! Nice to see you! I'd love to hear your thoughts after you've seen it. And then maybe you could mail it to me instead of returning it to Netflix. ;-)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wow, how did I miss your Before Sunset review? Excellent. I am so happy you liked it. I adore the film...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs (who is hoping for the Before Sunrise/Before Sunset twin pack for Christmas...)
:-) May all your Christmas dreams come true! Not many originals/sequels make for such an attractive twin-pack.
You're the second man I've read loves Holly Hunter's voice. I don't get it. It must be a guy thing. The other guy was Orson Scott Card.
Count me in. Holly from Broadcast News especially can read me a bedtime story any night.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Do you like her appearance and personality, or just her voice? She sounds like a female stevedore to me.
Yes, yes, and yes. There's a part in Broadcast News where she is trying to decide what to do, whining, "I don't know," several times. I am not sure I have ever loved hearing somebody whine so much.
And mind you, I tend to not dig Southern accents. Living in Oklahoma, I am rather immune to them...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I love Southern accents. Yankee by birth; Southern by the grace of God.
Like I said, I am pretty much immune. I dig English and French accents myself.
Perhaps familiarity does breed contempt, or in my case, indifference.
Ah...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I'd like to second the "yes, yes, and yes" as a way of answering the original question. To elaborate, most actresses are beautiful in some respect, and I don't think Holly Hunter is a particular standout physically, but she has a fire and a gleam of intelligence that is very attractive. As for her voice specifically, I like the subtle lilt with just the barest shade of huskiness (unusual in a voice that's not deep, I think). Finally, I thought she did a great job with the Elastigirl role.
I sound just like her ;).
It's funny, now that you kid about it, it occurs to me that I've often wondered what various Listologists look like, but now I'm wondering more what they sound like. We should do some kind of MP3-based send-in-your-voice-sample guessing game, pay-nominal-fee to play, winner gets paid in an Amazon gift certificate. :-)
I could do that.
It's a wacky idea, but it could be fun. Have the sample be a passage from a favorite book or something, which might make the guessing more interesting. I'll let you know if I can free up enough time where I can administer the contest. Or if somebody else wants to volunteer...
Cool.
I had just one question walking out of The Incredibles : "Wasn't Patrick Warburton available?"
As much as I like Warburton, I think he would have been a poor choice to voice Elastigirl. :-)
Kronk would indeed have made a fine Mr. I (assuming that's where you'd really cast him), but I'm happy to see Coach Fox getting work, and thought he acquitted himself well.
Garfield and Super Size Me? I would have never guessed...
Great reviews!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Me neither, and thanks! I think the thing that particularly held her attention with Garfield was that he was so clearly a cat and yet not a cat. I think for her it was like watching the most unusual and engaging real cat she's ever seen. I can't be sure, of course, but they did a pretty good job with the CGI, the movement, and integrating him into the environment.
Of course, when we asked her what her favorite part was, she said, "the mousie" (a supporting character with perhaps 5 minutes of screen time).
I can see her enjoying Garfield. It is enjoying the surgical procedures from Super Size Me that amazes me.
I mean, I am just a little surprised, not outraged or anything. I guess it was pretty colorful... ;)
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
:-) Yeah, I just talked about Garfield because that's the only one I can come up with an explanation for. Days later (weeks now) we still get, "we watch Super Size Me again some time?" and "I like that yucky guy" (her term for the surgery patient).
It was the first (and probably only, for awhile) PG-13 movie for both girls. I think it was a good choice, and I think luckily the three notable swears flew by our seven-year-old.
Yeah, I guess that was a pretty 'clean' film for a PG-13 movie (which I never even noticed it was rated).
Yucky guy - that's great!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Stellar reviews, as usual. I am really happy you caught and liked Eternal Sunshine. I have yet to see the other films you added, though Maria is one I certainly wish to see.
Thanks!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Thnaks! I'll be very curious to hear what you think of Maria Full of Grace. It is one of two movies I've seen recently that I wish I liked more, but can't put my finger on why I didn't. I'll rely on you to tell me why it fell a bit short for me (but still good), or to tell me that it was great and my heart is simply three sizes too small.
I should be able to pick up my stuff from Penny's apartment this weekend, and said stuff will include my television and DVD player. I expect to have my own apartment by the first week in January, so hopefully my DVD viewing days are not far away!
If I catch Maria, I will be sure to let you know my thoughts.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Glad you liked Eternal Sunshine Jim. it really is great! i liked it soo much i made this Tribute Picture Page : Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind great movie. for me Carrey cna do no wrong.
I like Jim Carrey quite a bit too, although I haven't been able to bring myself to rent The Majestic yet.
yeah don't :) its not worth it.. (saying that it is in my DVD collection..strange..how did it get there!!)
wait...so carrey can do wrong! nnnnoooo!!
Re: Collateral. Actually, I think if you have a plot hole that people might notice, asking about it and finding a good explanation is generally a smart move. If it's something that few people would probably realize and you're just drawing attention to it, or if the explanation if lame, then it's a bad idea (unless it's in a comedy and the acknowledgement of plot holes is intended to be funny). I don't remember what Cruise's answer to that question was, but it's perfectly reasonable for Cruise to think that Foxx would rat him out to the police. Of course, Foxx could've done that after Cruise was finished, but (1) Cruise would've been long gone by then, and he would certainly not want the police on his trail AS he is killing people, or (2) Cruise could've planned to kill Foxx at the end of the night.
Myself, I was more confused by why Jamie Foxx thought it was a good idea to toss Cruise's briefcase over a bridge. What did he think Cruise would do? "Oh jeez, my briefcase is gone. Well, what can I do now? My hands are tied. I'll just give up with all this killing stuff and let Jamie Foxx go."
BTW, John Varley (who dgeiser13 posted news about a little while ago) has a great deconstruction of Collateral's ending here.
I love that John Varley page. I'd check it regularly if there was some easy way to tell what is new on it. I think I'll e-mail him about that. I did enjoy his dissection of the ending, but...
The ending was the least of my worries, and I don't really have a problem with Foxx only nicking Cruise. I'm prepared to believe his hand was shaking, and I enjoyed some of the chase, like when Cruise was trying to decide which train to follow. I thought Mann stretched out that moment quite deliciously. The two big things that bugged me--and which I was never able to push from my mind--were the coincidence of Foxx meeting Jada Pinkett Smith and... Oh, let me get this after the spoiler...
As for Cruise not switching cabbies, I think I paraphrased the line too much in my review, as I'm pretty sure Foxx asks him, "why didn't you just kill me and get another cab driver?" Why indeed? Cruise should have run downstairs, found out that Foxx knew, shot him, stuffed him in the trunk with the other guy, and then hailed another cab. It's true that you don't have a movie without Foxx knowing what'd going on, so that's necessary, but they should have come up with a better reason than "you're a good driver" or [cringe] "besides, we're in this together." How's this for an idea:
As long as they have the absurd coincidence of Foxx having met Smith, how 'bout Cruise finds out about that so keeps him alive so he can make Foxx call her later and lure her into the open? After all, he loves to improvise, so having him fold that new knowledge into his game plan is not such a stretch.
Oh, since we're still in spoiler country, I do think it was Cruise's plan to kill Foxx at the end of the night. That's why Ruffalo mentions the other case that always bothered him, where the cabbie with no record supposedly snapped one night, killed three people, and then killed himself. I think we're supposed to assume that case was really Cruise on a previous business trip (he did say he'd been to LA before).
Finally, I really thought that whole wolf scene was a WTF moment, but I think it was more because of the sudden appearance of music-with-lyrics rather than because of the wolf itself.
All this negativity makes it sound like I didn't like the movie. I did, but I feel it could have been much better, which bums me out a bit. It occurred to me perhaps it wasn't supposed to be plausible, and was instead just a vehicle for espousing some kind of world view, but I couldn't quite bring myself around to that way of thinking. I notice you write in your review: "[the] film has a message that, while discussed overtly a bit, actually does not feel overstated." What did you think that message was? Apologies if I'm asking too late, and you've since forgotten.
Jim, if you subscribe to Varley's mailing list he sends out notifications whenever he does an update. Also, he recently posted his top 25 movies of all time.
Cool, I'll do that, thanks!
Very respectable top 25. I like his rule on eligibility:
And of course, any list that includes Lester's Musketeer movies is okay by me!
I think it was the whole idea of how Foxx is a wimp in a dead-end job and he learns how to assert himself more and do more with his life. Early on, Cruise is pressuring him to call Jada, but Foxx seems shy. When he goes in to talk to Cruise's boss, I think there's a big transition happening there. In the end, Foxx has the balls to not only call Jada but save her life. I guess that would mean the message is take chances and follow your dreams. Not a very original message, but what are ya gonna do?
Did you like the weird 3D-panning camera work in the last action scene of I, Robot? I thought that was pretty awesome. Also, did you guess who was behind it all? I didn't, but I'm usually pretty bad at predicting endings.
I did like that final action scene, even if it was very video-gamey. It manages to overcome that with incredible frenetic energy that is almost, literally, dizzying.
Also, no, I did not guess the ending, and afterwards I was kicking myself. I've gotten much better at guessing endings lately, so I was surprised to miss one that should have been obvious. Gotta credit the filmmakers for getting us to focus on Bruce Greenwood. "Who else could it be, he's the only character we know enough to make us care that he's the villain." Nice bait-and-switch there.
Wow, Jim, you certainly did some interesting film viewing over the weekend.
I was especially glad, of course, to read your reviews of Spring, Summer, etc., and Shaun, two very different films I love.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Yeah, it was a great weekend, filmwise (and otherwise, for that matter). I'm still shocked at how much I liked SSFW&S; it just doesn't seem possible to make such an engaging movie out of such a small locale and so little dialog. A aesthetically pleasing movie, sure. A contemplative one, definitely. But to make one so watchable and even briskly paced? I never would have guessed. Maybe it just hit me right, and others would find it dull, but I have a hard time imagining that.
And of course, Shaun was a hoot.
Oh, and I'm so glad you agree! As usual, I enjoyed your reviews greatly. :-)
My largest fear in nominating SSFWS to people is that it would bore them. So far, I am very happy that most people I finally did nudge it its direction seem to enjoy it.
Of course, that is probably because I was very selective with my nudging, but still...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
It is too bad Troy is not better. There is a terrific film to be made from that source material; why can nobody get it right?
I enjoyed reading your review.
You probably already know this, but if the tragedy of Troy interests you, you really should check out Euripides' The Trojan Women. It may be my favorite Greek tragedy (though Oedipus the King is very close).
I especially like Paul Roche's translation.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Yeah, while there's enough good stuff in Troy that I enjoyed it, there were many missed opportunities (or just plain misses). The Helen problem is vexing. If they had left a bit of the gods in they could have made her beauty supernatural. They could have even veiled her under the pretense that the sight of her drove men mad (that would make Paris a more sympathetic character, perhaps). And veiling her also solves the "no actress is pretty enough" problem. This is assuming we're still willing to take liberties, of course.
Anyway, I know you're a fan of ancient Greece, so I'd be curious to hear your thoughts if/when you see it. I suspect you won't like it, but I'd be curious if you find elements to like.
No rush, obviously. :-)
I liked The Trojan Women quite a bit, and like so many books I owe it a revisitation. I think its influence on my thinking contributes to my disappointment in the marginalization of the women in the movie.
The idea of a veil is an excellent one, but surely they saw less male audience going that route, if it even hit them at all.
Besides, that would make it harder to a) lure an actress, and b) try to make it big as establishing a new starlet (a la Mask of Zorro).
I shan't rush. :)
I am glad you dug The Trojan Women. That is a terrific play (and, I believe, the only Euripides' tragedy oddly absent from Bloom's Western Canon list; hmmm....).
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Anchorman hater!! boo! lol its #14 on my favourite movies of all time!! didn't you find it a hoot??
I am even worse than he is. I did not watch the whole thing, pooping out around the midway point.
Forgive me?
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I tried to figure out how Anchorman ended up in my queue in the first place and discovered that Listologist reviews range from fair to raving. I was shocked that all y'all took leave of your senses simultaneously.
:-)
I actually thought the movie was an anti-hoot. No laughs. Zero. I will admit to being amused by the street fight. I had been looking forward to Elf, which also got a ton of good press, but now I'm deathly afraid. Very sorry, I hate to diss a well-loved movie!
Yeah, Outfoxed was awesome. Along with others like The Corporation and books like The Tipping Point and The Wisdom of Crowds, I feel like I understand the world much better than I did 6 months ago.
Also, it seems true that ignorance is bliss. Every time I learn a little more about how the world really works, it seems like a darker place to live.
Yeah, once you know what's going on sometimes it pays to not think about it.
One thing I like about the 'diary' style of mini-reviews is that I don't have to look for the new reviews by making an extra click on 'highlight changes' or dig through the recent updates page. Those are easy solutions, and I'm splitting hairs, but I thought I'd comment anyway.
There are upsides to yearly organization, of course.
Is this close enough to what you want?
Wow, apparently you don't mind me splitting yours hairs.
Easily bookmarked, thanks. As a solution for your mini-reviews, it's nearly perfect. As a solution for the mini-reviews of users who frequently update a wider variety of content, it's a little less useful. Is it possible to click to that page? (An individual's recent activity without posts or news items.) I'm sure you'll keep in mind this was originally just a quaint comment about my own personal preference.
Sorry for switching from 'tiny personal commentary' to 'site useability discussion' and back again so quickly.
This is mostly unrelated, but news feeds for individual's 'recent activity' pages would rule and surely cost you mucho bandwidth.
Glad that works for you. Unfortunately no, that screen is never just one click away. As you know, user-specific "recent activity" is reachable via a users profile, but if you want to filter out news and posts you have to generate that via the member directory.
Yeah, I like the idea of user-specific feeds, but I have bandwidth concerns (as you note).
Oh, and no apologies necessary, of course!
Hate to nitpick, but... actually, no I don't. :-) "Uncovered: The War on Iraq" was the theatrically released version of Robert Greenwald's questioning of the Iraq war. It is, indeed, an expansion of "The Whole Truth About the War on Iraq", but that first version never saw the inside of a theater (other than a bit of limited festival play).
Hey, any indication that folks are reading my dribblings makes me happy, even nitpicking. :-) I appreciate the correction - I wasn't sure what was up with that when IMDb returned both titles.
That Bush secured a second term, or that he even had a chance, is stunning. It's proof that widespread, destructive propoganda still works. I would've hoped that people, in general, were more discerning these days than in the past - especially because it's so easy to get information from a variety of sources.
But in the end, maybe that's not the issue at all. Maybe it's true that 'two guys kissing trumped it all' (Jon Stewart quote), which is shocking, but of course I must admit that different people have different priorities. Have post-election polls revealed what the primary issues for Bush voters were?
When Bill Clinton was caught lying about having sex with Monica, there was an uproar in my Christian 'bubble' that Clinton should be impeached on grounds of character. I wasn't so sure - after all, his affair didn't have deleterious effects on the nation - the whole thing had nothing to do with his presidency or the political decisions he made.
But now, Bush's administration has clearly lied (in my mind, it started with incompetance, but since then it's all been lies to cover up incompetance) again and again. And I haven't heard a peep about it in the same Christian bubble (I poked my head back in to find out). Worse, that is an issue of weak character that affects the nation in very, very bad ways!
I won't pull a Michael Moore and call Bush-voters idiots. They aren't. The ones I know simply have different priorities. Some of them even knew about Bush's deceptions. They chose differently than I did.
Another major reason for Bush's reelection is the Democrat's failure to put forth a strong candidate. Though he surprised in the debates, Kerry is not usually a good orator. Perhaps even worse, he's not 'cute.' Poll after poll has shown that, alas, that really matters. Finally, they failed to decide who they were trying to attract. Kerry played up his Catholicism when he could, but supported abortion which is not popular in Catholic circles (to my knowledge). Bush had a clearer voting constituency. Even though I thought Bush was by far the worst president of my lifetime, I had to think long about whether I really wanted to vote for Kerry. He was not a strong candidate, and didn't appeal to me. But he was the lesser of two evils.
Sorry to jump back into election discussion and whining so long after the fact. I'm not one who wants to move to Canada or oppose everything Bush does. But your comments on Uncovered called out some things I wanted to say.
One section of the exit polls was broken down into what issue the voters thought were most important. The most important issue for voters was "moral values" (i.e., gay marriage, abortion, stem cell research), and these people voted overwhelmingly for Bush - I believe 80%. Another huge issue which caused voters to vote for Bush was terrorism - 86% for Bush.
The issues that people tended to vote overwhelmingly for Kerry on were education, health care, and the war in Iraq. Yes, people who thought the war in Iraq was the most important issue didn't support it - so yes, two guys kissing trumped it all.
I agree wholeheartedly with the Clinton / Bush comparison. I wish more Christians thought like you.
I think Kerry's statement on abortion was very clear. He made it during the second debate, the open forum one. He said that his Catholic worldview told him that abortion was wrong, but he didn't feel he had the right to force this viewpoint on other people. He sees his religion as a matter of personal faith for him. Bush, on the hand, wears his religion on his sleeve and uses it as a political tool.
As for the debates, I was far, far more impressed with Kerry as an orator than Bush. Especially the first debate, I was baffled, BAFFLED as to how anyone could possibly think that Bush won that one.
I think the biggest mistake Kerry made in the election can be summed up in two words: "global test." I know what he really meant, but those two words were blown so completely out of proportion and taken out of context. The right-wing used those two words to make Kerry seem weak on terrorism. He tried to correct himself and explain what he meant, but it was no use - the propaganda was global-testing him to death. Kerry could never have gotten those "two guys kissing is the most important issue" votes, but he could have swung some more of the "terrorism is the most important issue" votes if he had never mentioned those two words.
I'm doing my best to influence the other Christians around me, but as you know, Christians are a stubborn breed. :-)
Yes, I watched the second debate. But most Christians I talked to (sorry, I accidentally limited this to 'Catholics' in my earlier post) felt strongly enough about abortion to push for legislation against it, and Kerry's statements about 'I can't legislate something like that' was the same as 'I'm pro-choice' to them.
Kerry killed Bush in the debates, much to my surprise.
Your last sentence rules.
I don't remember Bush's exact response to Kerry's statement about abortion, but IIRC, Bush made a general comment about Kerry voting in favor of abortion, and Kerry responded with something like, "It's not that simple, etc. etc." and Bush said, "It's pretty simple, when you vote 'yes' or 'no.'" That, I think, is a key difference between Bush and Kerry: Bush sees things in terms of black and white, whereas Kerry sees many perspectives. This was used by the media to bash Kerry as wishy-washy, which was a load of crap as far as I'm concerned. Can you explain to me what's so wrong about supporting the war in Iraq initially but changing your mind once you have new information?
With all due respect to the people you talked to, I think many right-wingers tend to fall into the same trap as Bush. The kind of people I'm talking about are the ones who staged a "pray-in" against Arlen Specter at the Capitol - not because Specter said he was pro-choice, but because he said it was "unlikely" that the Senate Judiciary Committee would appoint a Supreme Court judge who would overturn Roe v. Wade.
In addition, even if you believe abortion is wrong, I don't think it makes sense to illegalize it. It will still be conducted if it's illegal, just in back alleys with coat hangers, like it was before Roe v. Wade was passed. Sure, there might be somewhat fewer, but I think there would still be a hell of a lot; you can't expect people to start practicing abstinence overnight.
I'm surprised you didn't make the obvious comparison to the utter failure that was Prohibition.
I like to think that drug trade of heroin, cocaine, and other 'hard' drugs would fall if they were legalized and thus, there wasn't so much profit in it. But we'll probably never know.
Life is almost never black and white, but black and white sells better. People can understand it, which makes them feel like they're on top of things, and black & white fits into soundbytes. Bush is a better salesman.
That is a good point. The easiest, most clear-cut explanation is often what Americans want to hear.
No apologies necessary! Good post. It's hardly possible to discuss a movie like Uncovered without discussing politics.
Two Brothers is really a likeable film. I didn't expect very much, but I was surprised how good it was.
Of course, now I have to rent Riddick.
I eagerly await your shellacking!
Maybe I'll record an MST3K fan commentary, you never know.
hhhmm well fiar enough about shark tale, but i really liked it. i loved the references to popular films, i thought will smith was very funny as oscar. i think the thing is with me that i enjoy a good fun film, i don't see it in a "Technical" sense, sure *then* it sucks but i loved it as a fun family film. your review was great and made your points strong. but i have abit of beef with you now.. "antz was crushed by A Bugs life" !! Wha!!?? yeah sure it was crushed in ratings sense and money but by god antz was a better film. Heres my review of it form my The Review: My Top 15 Favourite Animated Movies -
" can't tell you how much i love this film! have you heard the cast?? Woody Allen, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, Sharon Stone and Sylvester Stallone. with a cast like that oyu get a great movie. it centers around the character of Z (voiced by Woody Allen). the character and film in general tackles issues and has a tone much like a woody allen film. Z is tackling with issues such as slef doubt, depression and being lost. Antz has a modern vibe runnig through it, it's one of the first that really dosen't set out to be a kids movie as such, alot of the jokes and issues kids wouldn't get. basically in my view, it was the first "cool" animation movie i had seen (at the time) the jokes are great, the acting is great and its 50x better than "A Bugs life" it has some great action scenes too (the last one is just great) i loved the tie in with normal life things such as bins nad cans which were seen through the ants eyes. this is truely a great film, please see it, it crushes "A bugs life" like..a bug."
as you can tell we have very different views here, i would love to here your deffense of A Bugs life. :)
A defense, you say? I hadn't planned on mustering one, but since you asked...
A Bug's Life is a remake of The Seven Samurai, while Antz is a remake of, umm..., any mediocre latter-day Woody Allen movie, but with more action. The action is probably courtesy of...
Sylvester Stallone. As you noted, he's in it. Do I really have to go on?
Also, how can I respect a movie that can't even spell "Ants" correctly?
:-)
Yeah, but at least Antz didn't have any of that typical "Disney heroine getting really pissed and preaching about how evil lying is" that A Bug's Life stole from all three Aladdin movies. Ugh.
Am I to understand that you're an Antz man, AJ?
You are, but keep in mind that I haven't seen either movie since they were in theaters seven years ago.
I'm mostly just kidding around with Rushmore, and exaggerating to make a point regarding Pixar vs. Dreamworks (well, not with regard to Nemo vs. Shark Tale). I don't actually rank A Bug's Life and Antz so far apart, when we get right down to it.
Neither do I. And ordinarily I'd agree that Pixar can kick Dreamworks's ass any day of the week. I liked Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles all better than Antz.
I look forward to seeing Some Kind of Monster. I'm glad you didn't take it as a parody. Metallica ain't great at lyrics and they're in an artistic hole right now, but it's all still human drama, anguish, tragedy, etc.
Digression: Their latest album was a mess of unchanneled energy, irksome shades of nu-metal, a terrible snare drum sound and their worst lyrics ever. I was eventually able to enjoy it (especially 'Dirty Window' and 'All Within My Hands'), and I was glad they went 'heavy' again. They're a band that doesn't like to stay still for long, and I applaud that, but so far their diversions haven't been as successful as the bread and butter of their first three albums. I respect that at this point they do what they want and not what the fans want, but I really hope their next album delivers what St. Anger suggested: a return to their native sound, full force. I think if they dig deep they've got another Puppets (or at least Lightning) in them, and I'm dying to hear it.
I'll be eager to hear your thoughts on the doc. As a fan of theirs, I bet you'll like it even more than I did.
Of Shark Tale: "Dreamworks should NOT be stepping into the ring with Pixar. Forget about skill, they don't even make the weight."
From a business perspective it still makes sense. Not sure if you follow box office, but by the time Shark Tale arrived, Shrek 2 had already become the second highest-grossing film of all time (behind Titanic, duh). And any 3D animated movie right now is basically guaranted a $40 million opening so it's always safe money maker regardless of quality, especially when DVD rolls around.
If I ran a studio I would make nothing but barely competant (the Uwe Boll clause) horror movies on $5 million budgets. Each one would always make between $5 and $80 million. I'd make 6 a year and turn 600% profit. And I would never greenlight a $300 million animated film about creepy-looking children and then release it right next to a Pixar film (Polar Express was the exception to the 'reliable moneymaker' rule above). And I would throw all the money I could towards getting Charlie Kaufman movies made, even if no one sees them and I bury my studio.
Up until the last sentence I was planning to say that I really hoped you never run a studio, but more Charlie Kaufman movies? Now you're talking my language. Stuff him full of caffeine, hook his brain up to a machine that stimulates his crazy script ideas, and have him churn out a screenplay a day.
P.S. As a side note, Star Wars is still #2 if you count the rerelease. For worldwide box office, however, Shrek 2 is an embarrassing #7, trailing Titanic, LOTR 2 and 3, Harry Potter 1, Phantom Menace, and Jurassic Park.
If I wanted to run a studio that always made money (to be thrown away on fantastic Kaufman movies that nobody sees), that's how I'd do it.
I wanted to avoid lawyerese, but you force me to say what I was originally going to say: "Shrek 2 was the second-highest box office grossing single-release film of all time (domestic, unadjusted for inflation) as of Oct. 1, 2004." Anyway, that's why they paid Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz, and Eddie Murphy $1,000,000/hr each. (I'm not exaggerating - first paragraph above headline "Pulling a genie no-no".)
I actually wasn't including Shrek, just their blatant copycat efforts, Antz and Shark Tale. And even so, I'm talking quality, not sales.
Unfortunately, I believe your business plan is completely sound. :-)
Did you know Cellular and Phone Booth were both written by the same person when you compared them?
Ha! No, somehow I missed that. It makes perfect sense though (obviously, to those that have seen both). That makes it an even safer bet, I think, that those who like one will like the other.
I just saw Million Dollar Baby yesterday, and it was much better than expected. I really recommend that movie!
Cool, thanks! I'm really looking forward to that one (it's hanging out in the dressing room of my queue, waiting for the ring announcer).
I really liked dawn of the dead pre-closing credits... then they had to bring in a disturbed song and an o-so predictable twist big bang ending... oh what a terrible song! "get down with the sickness"... what happened?... still, definitly deserves to be in the good tier... much better than your average post-2001 horror movie... If i had to put my finger on one stand out difference, it would be that DOTD had a real atmosphere other than "scared shitless" and more dimensions than complete calm and all out horror.
Completely agree. I too was quite disappointed by the closing credits, if for no other reason than the pre-credits ending was great! Also, now I'm left with the lingering memory that our four previously intelligent and resourceful survivors were stupid enough to go on shore without first making a bunch of noise from the boat to see if they attracted any zombies.
Why do you make 2001 the cutoff? I don't disagree, I'm just curious if you have specific movies in mind as representing good pre-2001 stuff, and the post-2001 dropoff.
well i only made the 2001 cutoff because the first "typical" contemparary horror films i could recall were "the others" and "the ring"... both 2001 i believe... before that i can't recall one that compares... and as for pre-2001 blockbuster horrors... blair witch(1999) and what lies beneath(2000) come to mind and although they may not be great movies or even any good, i don't think they qualify... just as i don't think dawn of the dead really qualifies.
Ah, that makes sense. Maybe Scream (1996)? For what it's worth, I loved Blair Witch, but I know that one's a major polarizer.
oh i like blair witch too... that's why i don't think it fits into the Low-quality typical category... i think scream is also a good example of a better quality, non-typical pre-2001 horror movie... although you might have meant it the other way.
Oh, I'm with you now. Yeah, I meant Scream and Blair Witch were good.
A better sprinter movie than 28 Days Later (are there other examples of this relatively rare breed?).
AFAIK, the first sprinting zombie movie was Return of the Living Dead (1985), my #2 movie of all-time.
#2 movie of all time! Boy, it's highly tempting to rent based on that alone. I do worry about the mid-80s horror/comedy blend. Specifically the comedy, having been disappointed by Dead Alive, for example. How do you think the movie will play for someone like me, who has no nostalgia for it, and who will watch it alone? From the description, it sounds a lot like a movie that gains huge points for being watched in a fun group that gets into it.
Hmmm... I'm hesitant to recommend it if you didn't like Dead Alive. They're not that similar to my mind, but I wouldn't expect most people to tell the difference, since they're both zombie movies with comedy. I've always thought of ROTLD as the Dr. Strangelove of zombie movies, in that it would be horribly depressing if the comedy wasn't there. Also, I think the comedy in ROTLD is more subtle and ironic than Dead Alive; there's no kung-fu priests that kick ass for the Lord.
I'm not sure about the solo/group-thing. I've done both and enjoyed it both ways, although it helps tremendously (obviously) if the group appreciates the subtle humor and isn't there to mock it. Although I'm not as a scared by it anymore (I've always been varying amounts of heavy, so the idea of running zombies frightenend me, since I know I'd never be able to get away), I still enjoy just how the thing looks and the way it's put together.
(I'd really love to write one of those tiny BFI Film Classic books about this movie; too bad no one anywhere thinks of it as a classic.)
Anyway, hope that helps!
Y'know, I should see it just because you think so highly of it. I'll put in on my big, huge "to see" list.
Hey, if you write that book, I'll buy it.
Y'know, the comedy in "Return of the Living Dead" didn't really fly for me. Maybe because the situation was so end-game nihilistic that any kind of humor just seemed... desperate. Then again, I have other issues with that film as well.
I'm going to leave now before Kent tries to hurt me... :-)
[Scorpion] C'mere! [/Scorpion]
This isn't the best comparison, admittedly, but there are some similarities, so...
How do you feel about the comedy in Dr. Strangelove?
You bring up an interesting comparison. I've often said that it takes at least two viewings to find "Dr. Strangelove" as funny as it is. Maybe I should see "ROTLD" again.
But then, I think my real problem with the film is its stumbling into the same trap that befell so many other post-Romero claustrophobic horror movies -- namely, the mistaking of bickering and shouting for the creation of actual tension. But then again, maybe I just need to see the film again.
i've only seen Strangelove once and found it hilarious.
For what little it is worth, I remember enjoying Return of the Living Dead in a fun, B-movie sort of way. Granted, I haven't seen it in many, many years, so maybe the love wouldn't translate to another viewing, but I thought it was worth a rental.
Although, for an 80s horror-comedy blend, I really adore the vastly under-rated Fright Night.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Fright Night is awesome. I'm also partial to Part II, but I don't know anyone else that is.
Yes! Although I never watched part 2; I typically avoided most sequels in the 80s. Perhaps I'll give it a go soon.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
for what VERY little it is worth, I watched return of the living dead tonight and i loved it... in the same sort of way i loved "they live"(a reference point for jim anyhow) but i think ROTLD is much much more entertaining and altogether a better movie and it doesn't have the bad acting of roddy piper, it's also a lot funnier, so maybe that'll help... -"i like it, it's a statement"
Another satisfied customer.
I should rent it again. I've read very nice reviews for the DVD.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
actually i forgot to mention that i also prefer ROTLD to dawn of the dead, even in the scare department... it really is the ultimate zombie flick for rationalists, i prefer its natural reasoning immensely to zombie movies where hell was full or their souls were lost or anything like that... it also makes for a lot more twilight hour fears(as i'm typing now as a matter of fact), although the dawn of the dead, waking up one morning oblivious to the fact that zombies have taken over has kept me from sleeping in late a couple times, but thats not as bad as keeping me awake all night like this one has done.
actually i was thinking just a moment ago that DOTD and ROTLD have more in common than i originally thought, i mean ROTLD looks, smells, sounds. and feels like your average corny stupid 80's horror flick, but it's really much better... just as DOTD is to post-2001 horror movies.
not to go off subject(hell why stop now) but another movie i saw last night that was surprisingly really good and incredibly scary was creepshow... those seaweed zombies scared the hell out of me after 2 minutes of laughing my ass off at how corny they were... but i guess all that counts was that eventually i was terribly frightened
Ha, love your review for The Forgotten !
:-) Thanks. It really was a "gee, I wonder why this got so panned... Oh. That's why." moment.
Having just watched the highly disappointing Ocean's Twelve, I have two questions, even though I really shouldn't care:
1. Why does LaMarc screw his protege?
2. Why did they stuff that guy in the suitcase, beyond the gag itself?
You summed up Sideways very effectively.
Thanks! I was really surprised by how much I liked that movie, especially in the aftermath of my not even finishing Election, and being indifferent to About Schmidt.
About Schmidt will appeal to you more when you reach that stage in life. I caught the tail end of Election on cable one Saturday afternoon and decided it was lame.
Great reviews! Shaolin Soccer is sitting at my apartment as I type; now I know that if I don't dig it, I should still hold out hope Kung Fu Hustle's way...
I love great endings, and I enjoyed the trailer, so I guess Layer Cake is now a must-see for me!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Wow, I really have a tough time predicting how you'll feel about Shaolin Soccer and, to a lesser extent, Layer Cake. I know I was in a pretty small minority in not loving Shaolin Soccer, and I also know there are folks that find Layer Cake just another British gangster film with little new or interesting. I'll keep my guesses as to your reaction to myself for now, and watch the drama unfold.
Oh, as for Kung Fu Hustle, as much as I enjoyed it I'm not sure it transcends its genre, audience-wise. What I mean by that is, I'm not sure it will be liked by those who aren't already predisposed to like corny kung fu movies (lukeprog, who tends to hate all such movies, also hated Hustle, IIRC). I think it's best described as a combination of Matrix: Revolutions, Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi (which I suspect you would love), and the Marx Brothers.
3-Iron. Did you mean "inscrutable"?
Yes.
I really owe you a better response than that. I've been so rushed lately. Sorry! Have you seen the movie? I'd be very curious to hear how you feel about my word usement after seeing it.
Oh, no, that's all I wanted to know. I haven't seen the movie. But I always admire your careful consideration of others, thanks!
:-) I do hope you get a chance to check it out. It's certainly an interesting and distinctive movie, if not emotionally engaging (for me).
I think lukeprog was just correcting the typo in your review. Did that come across?
Ha! Whoops. No. I thought he was making sure I knew what word I was using. "Inscruable" - boy do I feel supid.
I'm very glad you enjoyed A Very Long Engagement, a great film that got lost in the shuffle last year.
I know, I KNOW I should take Lemony Snicket out of my NetFlix queue, but I somehow can't stop the insanity. Help!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I'm glad you liked A Very Long Engagement too! I just re-read your review, and we are definitely on the same page. I was a bit worried about it, as I recall it getting mixed reviews, but looking now it seems like they were mostly positive, so I'm not sure where I got that.
Perhaps save Mr. Snicket for the nieces? The movie is at least interesting (or frustrating) for all the potential it displays, even if it doesn't realize much of it.
I nearly skipped it based on what seemed to me to be a lukewarm critical reception as well. I'm glad I went with my gut.
On the other hand, I really should listen to my gut about Lemony, but every time I try to delete it...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I absolutely agree on The Aviator which is a terrific film. DiCaprio is generally an actor I don't like that much, but here his performance was outstanding.
I also just noticed that Million Dollar Baby has found its way onto this list. IMO better than The Aviator. Even though I'm a great fan of Scorsese, I think Eastwood really deserved the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Direction. That is also saying something.
P.S.: I'll take healthy over skinny any day of the week, and on Sundays too." --> Truer words were never spoken. :)
Thanks!
The Million Dollar Baby vs. The Aviator Oscar decision must have been an awfully tough one. For me it's one of those cases where I think my personal enjoyment and assessment of "quality" (whatever that means) are out of sync. I enjoyed MDB more, but think The Aviator was "better."
Also happy to hear you agree with my healthy/skinny sentiment. :-)
Woopsy! I intended to follow up on your suggestion back when you made it, but - no excuses, I fell down and forgot.
Here I'll simply list, in the tiers *I* would put them at, the few that I too have seen.
GREAT: The Incredibles
VERY GOOD: Kill Bill vol.2, Shrek 2
GOOD: Cellular, Man on Fire, Troy, Chronicles of Riddick
GUILTY PLEASURES: Collateral, Van Helsing, National Treasure, AvP: Alien versus Predator, The Punisher, The Day after Tomorrow [another case of you lost it in the small screen]
AVERAGE: The Bourne Supremacy, Spider Man 2, Starsky and Hutch, I Robot, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
DISAPPOINTING: Hellboy
EL SUCKO GRANDE: The Stepford Wives
UNRATED:
Cool, thanks! We're not so far off. A couple movies I loved at "Average" and nothing is more personal than guilty pleasures (I'm not sure where the guilt in National Treasure is, nor the pleasure in The Punisher or The Day After Tomorrow, and did you really feel no guilt at Riddick :-), but otherwise we look fairly aligned, separately only by degree on many movies.
Thunderbirds. . . .What a big, big, BIG despicable insult to a classic 60s series.
I disagree with the assessment of Sky Captain, but then again I seem to be alone in my love of it.