12. Seen in March 2004
Submitted by geek on Mon, 03/08/2004 - 13:13
Tags:
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) - While I really enjoyed this, I didn't like it as much as some other Listologists. It was a fantastic movie, and, as much as I hate to admit it, Jim Carrey was great. I think it's the kind of movie that demands a rewatching, but I'll probably wait until it's on DVD to see it again. I can't place it, but something about it just didn't strike me as much as it did other people.
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) - What an awesome movie! It's so 50s, so scared of Communists, such a statement about American culture at the time. Alright, I admit it, I watched it with the *cough* American Studies Club *cough*, so I had to think about those things. Even so, if I was just watching it at home, this would still be a very fun movie.
- Carmen Miranda: Bananas Is My Business (1995) - What could be more entertaining than watching a biographical documentary on Carmen Miranda in an American studies class? Umm... turns out, just about anything. I think maybe it was a generation thing... My professor, who is in her late 30s/early 40s, actually knew things about Carmen, whereas the class had no idea who she was, what she did, what people thought of her, etc. And, while I have no doubt that Carmen Miranda was an interesting person, the movie did not show that.
- Amores Perros (2000) - I actually didn't know what movie I was going to see last night, and, although I recognized the name, I didn't remember anything I'd heard about it. I think this was definitely to my advantage because I got through the entire movie without knowing it was from the same writer / director team as 21 Grams. Of course I had recognized similarities between the two movies while watching it, but I think not knowing prevented me from making comparisons during the movie. That being said, what doesn't work in 21 Grams works wonderfully in Amores Perros - I mentioned in my 21 Grams review that putting the scenes in non-chronological order felt forced and added nothing to the film. Not so in Amores Perros, which kind of makes sense now. It was the director's first film, his first time using this method. Three years later he's making a film in essentially the same style, and it just doesn't work as well with that script.
- In any case, Amores Perros worked for me. Each story was strong, and I didn't really feel like one story outweighed the others. I enjoyed it a lot, even though it was filled with dog fights which were kind of really gross.
- The Flower of Evil (2003) - This was quite odd. In a good way, I think. I'm not sure I understand where the characters were coming from, but it was interesting to watch. Really dramatic music in some scenes was odd and out of place, but not as annoying as it would have been in any other movie. Also, the comments made about Americans in passing were pretty funny, and true.
- Wet Hot American Summer (2001) - I don't know why so many kids like this movie. I mean, parts of it are funny, but overall it's not that great. Also, it's pretty damn forgettable cause I let about 5 days pass before I reviewed this, and I can't think of anything to say.
- Monster (2003) - Definitely the best movie I've seen recently. The acting in this movie, from both Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci, is fabulous. Charlize was great, of course, but I really haven't heard much about Christina Ricci's performance; I'm surprised because I really thought it was good. Maybe I just missed those reviews or something? Anyway. The movie was very good.
- School of Rock (2003) - This was a really fun movie. There were several laugh out loud moments, though not as many as I'd heard there would be. Still, it was funny, and (once again) I found myself relating to the little snobby uptight girl... *sigh*
- Swimming Pool (2003) - I don't know what happened at the end, but if I forget about that, I really liked the movie. Actually, I can't seem to forget about the ending because I keep trying to find people who have seen it and are willing to discuss the ending. Oh, and I'm not nearly as thrilled with Ludivine Sagnier as everyone else, but she is very pretty.
- Thirteen (2003) - Ya know, I was actually ok with all of the crazy things the girl on this movie was doing. Well, by "ok with" I mean that, although it was cleary exaggerated, it's not unthinkable for a 13 year old to be doing these things. UNTIL I realized she was in 7th grade! What the hell? I actually could believe (not to scare any parents or anything) that this stuff could happen to a ninth grader - someone in high school. But seventh grade??? Gimme a break. The actual movie, though, aside from that one point was very good. I enjoyed it.
- The Triplets of Belleville (2003) - The animation and the soundtrack were wonderful. Besides that... well, I think plot was lacking. Honestly, I was bored during some parts. Still, I think the song "Belleville Rendezvous" is enough reason to see the movie. I love that song.
- Twisted (2004) - Believe it or not, this was the best thing to do on a Friday night in my grandparents' neighborhood... Umm, this movie currently has a rating of 2% on Rotten Tomatoes. It really was terrible. Predictable, boring, not fun at all. There's not much to say about it beyond that. It was horrible.
Author Comments:
bold signifies first viewing
Cloned From:
The Baltimore Sun gave "Twisted" four stars. And people wonder why I hate the Baltimore Sun.
Oo! How was Triplets?
I liked it, but I didn't think it was as good as I'd heard. I'll get a review posted tomorrow, probably.
celtchic also wanted to discuss the ending of Swimming Pool, and I've finally posted some thoughts over there, if you want to join in.