2000: Movies Sorted By Tier
Submitted by jim on Thu, 06/10/2004 - 03:46
Tags:
Loved
Chicken Run
... I love referential humor, and this one pays homage to so many movies that I love - The Great Escape, Raiders, maybe others? Never have clay chickens seemed so human.Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
... "Best movies of the decade?" Hardly. But still pretty darn good. Beautifully shot, and the suppressed romance between Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh is terrific. If the rest of the story worked as well, this one would have been truly special.Dark Days
... Marc Singer's first and only documentary, and it's killer. Basically shot on borrowed equipment and left-over film stock, Singer managed to keep complete creative control and final cut rights. The IMDb trivia is a must-read. Singer was living in the Amtrak tunnels under NYC and decided to make a documentary about the homeless people living down there. The film is truly a visit to another world. Singer also happens to film during a big crisis for his subjects, the resolution of which amazed me, and made me feel quite a bit differently about how much (or little) good a leg up can do (I won't tell you which way as I don't want to spoil anything).Erin Brokovich
... Julia Roberts deserved her Oscar, running the range from vulnerable to strong, sometimes exhibiting both traits simultaneously. Great script with plenty of humor and a feel-good finish that isn't overdone.Memento
... I've read rare complaints that telling a story backwards is just a gimmick, and it doesn't make an uninteresting story interesting. First off, what in movie-making isn't a gimmick? Second off, the story (interesting to begin with) is made more interesting by telling it backward. The story is such that we can start with the finale, and immediately form conclusions, only to have those conclusions undermined as the story unfolds in reverse. A gimmick it may be, but it was highly successful here. I definitely have to watch this one at least one more time.Panic
... Oddly enough, this movie really touched the parent in me. You wouldn't think a movie about a hit man would do that, but Macy's plight as it affected his relationship with his young son (and the culmination of the film) was stirring. His bedtime talks with his son made me regret every rushed moment I've had as a parent, and the scene where he loses his patience is just plain real. And all the other elements work too. Marvelous ensemble cast.Really Liked
Almost Famous
... A happy combination of a very good script and very good performances. A comic and lightly poignant coming-of-age story.Audition
... Wow. This starts out as an interesting, if dull at times, serio-romantic comedy about loneliness and this widower who reluctantly goes along with a buddy's idea to hold a fake movie audition to find him a new wife. It's pretty clear early on that all is not right with the woman he chooses, despite all outward appearances of her being the complacent, compliant, submissive stereotypical Japanese woman he was looking for. Interjected scenes of varying creepiness slowly start appearing, but the setup is still quite slow and deliberate, lasting at least three-quarters of the movie. The horror isn't unleashed until late in the game, but it bursts forth with a vengeance, as if enraged by its confinement for the first 90 minutes (or by all that societal oppression of women). I can't remember the last time I did so much squirming in my seat. After I watched it I thought to myself, "damn, I can't recommend that! That was horrifying and sadistic." Then I caught myself: horror movies are supposed to horrify, right? I think I lost sight of that with all the clever Scream meta-horror out there these days. Those movies are the amusement park; this one is the freak show.Battle Royale
... The collapsed civilization presented in voiceover doesn't seem nearly collapsed enough to warrant forcing entire 9th-grade classes to battle to the death (THIS is the consequence of 15% unemployment?!), but forgive that miserable excuse for an apocalapse and cut right to the chase. 42 9th graders are kidnapped, wired up with explosive collars, and forced to fight to the death over the course of 3 days. After three days, if more than one is alive, everybody dies (remember those explosive collars?). But if there's a sole survivor, he/she can go free. Since the movie throws us and the kids into this situation so abruptly, and we know almost nothing about any of them, it seems like this is just going to be an exercise in body counting, and a kind of ill, claustrophobic "why the hell am I watching this" feeling sets in almost immediately. But then something amazing happens: Even though we don't know any of these kids, we recognize them. And in recognizing them, we recognize, "hey, maybe this is really how it would play out" (well, up until the end, anyway). In short, there's real humanity amid the shocks and bloodshed, which elevates this quite a bit above the violence-porn this toys with being. Here's a question for you: suppose a big American star got in a motorcycle accident and recovered, but with half his face paralyzed. Could he have continued being a big star? Question #2: what American star (in terms of star power and talent, not the facial paralysis) is a good analog for Takeshi Kitano, the Japanese star to whom this happened?Ginger Snaps
... Definitely competitive with the crop of low budget movies everybody has heard of (Dead Alive, Evil Dead, Cabin Fever). Perhaps not the valedictorian of that class, but easily salutatorian. A fine portrait of adolescent hell, with lycanthropy thown in to just make it that much more unpleasant. A bit heavy with the whole sexual awakening/monster thing, but the changes we boys went through were no prize, so I can't imagine how much it sucks for girls. Several things really stand out in this one: the location is perfect: sterile, cold, grey suburban blight. Ugly in its uniform inoffensiveness (man, I hope no residents of that location read this!). Good character development in the first two acts (and downright stellar within the genre), and terrific actresses to pull it off (when do I get to see more of Emily Perkins without renting the ill-received sequels?). I'm tempted to go find my Cabin Fever review and downgrade it just for getting so much more attention than this movie.Gladiator
... I've flip-flopped several times on this movie. The editing in some of the action scenes really bothers me. And so does the obviousness of some of the CGI. But I love Russell Crowe, and the story of Maximus as a tragic figure rather than an action hero works for me.Hamlet
... A surprisingly well done modernization of the classic tragedy. Everybody I know hates Ethan Hawke, and I've never been able to figure out why. They say he can't act, I say he can.In the Mood for Love
... Take Sleepless in Seattle, purge it of all traces of Hollywood treacle and expectations, add in beautiful cinematography and costumery, don't forget subtle melancholic tones and performances, and then stir rather slowly for around 100 minutes. Delicious!Joint Security Area
... Think A Few Good Men, but better (and not a remake). Park Chan-wook of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy fame directs (don't worry - it's not particularly violent).Nine Queens
... I'm trying to decide if I should make a distinction between heist movies and con movies, and I think I should. I expect to enjoy both, and both often let me down, heist movies to a greater degree. So what a treat to watch this, The Italian Job, and The Good Thief all in a row - a con movie and two heist movies, all likeable! A miracle! That said, I think the only movie from the two genres that I've ever loved is The Sting, so I'm going to have to keep looking for another of it's caliber. Anyway, on to the movie: two Argentinian con men meet and begin working together. One is sorta not nice, the other is really not nice. They happen upon a big money making opportunity. Can they trust each other and reach the payoff? Is there a payoff? It's actually not that hard to predict, but I always had a kernel or two of doubt, which kept me watching and entertained. That, and for a con movie the lead characters seem like actual people, and not mere devices who exist merely to demonstrate the cleverness of the con. Actually, this is more a problem for heist movies than con movies. Maybe I *shouldn't* separate them!O Brother Where Art Thou?
... I like all the Coen Brothers comedies except The Big Lebowski , but this one leapt to the head of the class (not counting the noirs). Witty, engaging, and beautifully shot with terrific music.Requiem for a Dream
... It's hard to put this on a "recommended" list, as it's such a nightmare. But it's such a fine look at addiction, and visually unique and stunning. Even grotesquely beautiful. Marvelous performances all around, with Ellen Burnstyn deserving all the accolades she's received (even critics that didn't like the movie loved her performance). I'm leaving this off tier one because the fates of each of our four protagonists are so over-the-top awful as to render them maudlin (at least, to my boring don't-even-drink-coffee eyes :-).Sexy Beast
... Who would have thought Ghandi was hiding such a large can of whup-ass under his robe? Everybody agrees, and I can't dissent: Ben Kingsley was fantastic as Ben Logan, a knotted coil of rage, frustration, and insecurity. But as wonderful as he was, it was Gel (Ray Winstone), the retired criminal who Logan wants to recruit that captured my interest. He touchingly dotes on his wife, obviously loves retired life, and is so scared that it's all going to be torn from him. It's a shame Kingsley's showier role got all the attention. While the characters and their tensions interested me, I don't think the plot pacing worked particularly well. But who knows, this one may edge up the list if it stays with me!State and Main
... For me, Mamet is like onion rings. I see them on the menu and they sound great but I'm inevitably dissapointed when they arrive at the table. And yet I keep ordering them. So this movie was a pleasant surprise. Very funny, great dialog (I finally understand the Mamet/dialog raves), and a fun ensemble cast.X-Men
... A fine cinematic translation of a comic book. Or at least, I assume it is, having never read the comic. Well-cast, well-paced, and enjoyable. I think I slightly preferred this to Spiderman.Yi Yi
... It's not often that I enjoy "slice-of-life" stories, but this one is so accurate and heartfelt I couldn't resist. It's long, but full and rewarding. Mr. Ota, a secondary character, is a wonderful creation, and every scene Jonathan Chang (the young boy, Yang-Yang) appears in is a joy. I found a great comment on IMDB by "Dan-292" that I think sums it up nicely: Similar in theme and length to P. T. Anderson's "Magnolia", "Yi Yi" really shows up the defects in Anderson's film. The construction is tighter, the characters more real and the sentiment less overblown. The result is a truly enthralling portrait of a middle class family trying to get on with their lives.Glad I Saw
Amores Perros
... Imagine, a movie with three loosely intertwined stories each containing dog cruelty as a subplot, and I didn't hate it. In fact, it was quite good. A rare welcome Pulp Fiction descendant. All three stories are strong, but the middle tale of the extramarial affair is fantastic. You can taste the decay from almost the first moment, making for an uncomfortable (in a good way) viewing experience.Billy Elliot
... While I was watching this movie I was a bit disappointed that it seemed be taking forever to tell the central story. But it worked. The final scene is one that keeps coming back to me. Stick around for the payoff.Boiler Room
... Everything a "Wall Street for the 90s" should be.Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey
... I know Lee fans were thrilled not only by the existence of lost Game of Death footage, but by the content of it as well. While I share their joy in discovery of the lost footage, the footage itself, while enjoyable, didn't overwhelm me (blasphemous for a kung fu fan, I know). Still, it's wonderful that Lee's fans can look to these 40 minutes of Game of Death footage as Lee's incomplete swan song rather than the the 1978 exploitative travesty released after his untimely death. Also, the documentary portion of this movie was terrific, and really showcased Lee not only as an exceptional athlete (yes, you can see the famous one-finger (and thumb) push-ups and the one-inch punch), but as an exceptional human being as well.Cast Away
... The previews spoiled this one, and Zemeckis seems satisfied with that. Pisses me off. Still, this movie was pretty good. The island sequences were great. Unfortunately, I thought the non-island sequences were mediocre, which detracted from the movie.Chocolat
... Predicatable but enjoyable, and filled with actors that I like quite a bit. Judi Dench has a cushy job these days (not that she hasn't earned it): it seems like she's had a string of short, pithy roles that she can nail without stretching and then sit back with a cup of tea and reap the critical rewards. Juliette Binoche is as beautiful and talented as ever, even if she can coast to victory in this movie. Johnny Depp and Alfred Molina I almost always like; although they too didn't have to work too hard here. While perhaps a touch overwrought at times, I thought Lena Olin was the standout. While I haven't seen enough 2000 movies to judge definitively, I'd say it was only the Miramax Oscar Propaganda Machine that nabbed a Best Picture nomination for this one, but it was a fun tale nonetheless.Dinosaur
The Emperor's New Groove
The Family Man
... A shameless retread of Capraesque fare that I happened to enjoy quite a bit. Nicolas Cage's fish-out-of-water performance in the first 45 minutes carries the movie to many laugh-out-loud moments, and the momentum carries pretty well through the rest. Beyond Cage, Tea Leoni was surprisingly good, and I think it was on the Out of Sight featurette where Steven Soderbergh said something like, "you should always have Don Cheadle in your movie, if possible." I agree. A bit part here, but enjoyable. There are few actors I'd forgive for Mission to Mars, but he's one of them.Final Destination
... While it has some gore, I consider this to be more of a suspense movie than a horror movie. But I guess it's shelved under horror, and I'd have to say this is one of the few post-Scream horror movies that makes the grade. Clever and tense.Finding Forrester
... I was expecting an adequate Good Will Hunting knockoff, but I think this movie is the better of the two. The script uses the good elements of Good Will Hunting and Scent of a Woman while leaving the overplayed scenes behind, and it's the best-acted of the three to boot.Frequency
... I love stories that can take a subtle supernatural element and fold it into an otherwise "normal" story. The plot device here works great, and it meshes well with what is already a good mystery story.Girlfight
... A "misunderstood youth that finds happiness and/or success in the face of adversity" story that gets it right without being trite. And as an added bonus, my wife, who hates boxing, thought the boxing scenes in this movie were well done and enjoyable (they seemed realistic without seeming particularly violent).Happy Accidents
... Until now, Vincent D'Onofrio has always turned in the best performance of whatever movie he's been in. He's great here as well, but not as great as Marisa Tomei, who is hopefully rising out of the "woefully underrated and underused" pit she's been living in since the "Best Supporting Actress" kiss of death was bestowed upon her for My Cousin Vinnie. Thank goodness her nomination for the same award for In the Bedroom didn't result in victory; such a blow would have surely finished off her career. Anyway, she soars in this underrated and little-seen low-budget romantic comedy. The plot gets a little repetitive at times, but it kept me wondering about Sam's sanity--and the outcome--right up to the end.High Fidelity
... I finally watched this one all the way through, and to my relief I liked our hero better here than in the book. Good script although with the exception of the "Ian visits the record store scene" I never found it particularly funny. Surprisingly, I also didn't find John Cusack particularly believeable. I did like the very subtle transformation in our hero from totally self-centered to only slightly less self-centered by the end of the movie. Kinda refreshing compared to the typical miraculous turnarounds that happen in most movies.Keeping the Faith
... I'm convinced we're going to see lots of Edward Norton over the next 20 years. So talented, so versatile. I haven't seen as many James Stewart movies as I should, but Norton kinda reminds me of Stewart. He brings lots of heart and an inspired bit of physical comedy to this role. And Ben Stiller and Jenna Elfman weren't bad either.One Day in September
... This documentary about the Israeli atheletes taken hostage and killed by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Berlin Olympics succeeds largely because of the source material. As a documentary, it's mostly solid, but is too thin on details in too many places, and the rock music used in spots is truly jarring. Still, the history speaks for itself. Directly, in fact, as the filmmakers somehow got the lone surviving terrorist to come out of hiding for an interview. Too bad they didn't shoot the fucker. I was prepared to be shocked by the murder of the hostages. What I was not prepared for was the shock of the German bungling of the situation. I won't go into details. See it for yourself. Amazing in the worst way. German efficiency my ass.Pollock
... Ed Harris, always solid, is terrific here as actor/director. I wanted to put this movie on a higher tier, as it did a really nice job of documenting Jackson Pollock's life and times. Unfortunately, I really felt like Pollock's mind was a closed book to me, which is probably what he was like in real life, but here it kept me from establishing ANY kind of emotional connection with the character. In short, probably true-to-life (praiseworth in itself), but alien.The Princess and the Warrior
... Another (without retreading the same ground) excellent misfit romance from Tykwer (Run Lola Run). Slow to build, but increasingly engaging as the plot unfolds. Excellent performances all around, interestingly filmed without being showy, and some very memorable sequences.Remember the Titans
... A pleasant surprise of a sports movie.Rules of Engagement
... Much better than I thought it would be. I kept waiting for some typical courtroom drama surprise evidence or testimony to arrive, but it never does. I had no problem believing any of the characters, their motivations, or that they have real-life counterparts.Saving Grace
... A decent quirky British comedy about a widow and ace gardener that turns to marijuana to solve her sudden financial woes. Everybody is terrific, and pleasant tension builds as you wonder how the movie can possibly turn out well.Shanghai Noon
... As a kung-fu movie, this one is somewhat bland, but as a comedy it's terrific. Jackie Chan has found in Owen Wilson the perfect comic partner.Snatch
... Dennis Farina and Brad Pitt were terrific, but everybody else was just too flat. It had many of the elements of Ritchie's debut, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, but the plight of the bumbling boxing promoters just didn't have quite as much heart (not that I'd expect heart in these types of movies) as the plight of the bumbling poker players. The body count is higher, but we care less.The Tao of Steve
... A fairly enjoyable comedy showcasing some honest and at times clever observations on life and relationships. The mostly-unknown cast makes good work of the material at hand. An aside: it's funny how little things leap out at you depending on your area of expertise. For example, to an Ultimate player, it was glaringly obvious that none of the cast can throw (watch, now that I've said that it'll turn out they have at least one all-star in their midst).The Whole Nine Yards
... I never thought I'd like a Matthew Perry movie, but I just found myself laughing and enjoying our poor dentist's predicament. Hated the romantic angle, but there was no avoiding it I suppose. Willis mails it in, but I like him even when he's coasting, so that didn't hurt the movie for me.The Widow of Saint-Pierre
... I generally avoid plot summary in my reviews, but I'll make an exception here because I think it serves the movie well. A man commits a brutal murder, but has to wait for a guillotine and executioner to arrive on the island before his sentance can be carried out. In the interim he becomes a respected member of society, as he is is allowed to work for the wife of the military captain whose charge he is. I would have thought the relationship between the condemned and the wife would be central, but I thought the relationship between the captain and his wife was wonderful. There's no way to watch the movie as anything but anti-death penalty, which in a way is a shame since I imagine that message will drown out the beauty of the story for some.Thirteen Days
... The accents were distractingly bad; the worst since Jon Voight's in Anaconda. But once you get past that, this is a fine political thriller. The film did an excellent job of showing not only how easily large events take on their own momentum, but how hard it is to manage any kind of complex situation. I don't know how historically accurate this is, but the film really made it seem miraculous that we didn't go to war over the Cuban missle crisis.Traffic
... Ambitiously tries to capture all factions of the drug war, and does well enough to make this movie interesting and enjoyable without being preachy. I would say that its reach does exceed its grasp at times, but that's more of an overall sense rather than a pointer to specific failings. Soderbergh's roll continues.Unbreakable
... I wasn't going to recommend this movie initally, as it didn't make that big an impression on me at first glace. But it's grown on me over several days. Neither Willis's nor Jackson's characters alone are compelling, but their unfolding relationship is.Where the Money Is
... I never had any doubt that Paul Newman could elevate even passable material, and he gets a nice boost for Linda Fiorentino here. The plot doesn't really have much to offer, but it doesn't really get in the way either. Fun enough that I'd watch it again.With a Friend Like Harry
... I'd probably be able to list this higher, but it was billed as a thriller and I didn't find it suspenseful at all. In fact, it was downright slow. But as a character piece, it was excellent. The family tension and palpable sense of fatigue the parents exude is perfect. Harry is terrific; he's superficially charming but always carries a hint of menace as he violates pretty much every concept of personal space there is. The two leads convey this beautifully through their subtle body language. While never laugh-out-loud funny, the script is very strong and loaded with irony.You Can Count On Me
... This movie has the same feel as Nobody's Fool, although I found it a bit weaker in almost every regard. But given my high estimation of Nobody's Fool, this is hardly a criticism. Once again I was misled by the trailer which made this out to be funnier than it was, but it's a warm and touching movie nonetheless. I'll really have to see it again someday now that my preconceptions have been swept away. I thought Ruffalo was the stand-out in an excellent cast, although I could probably have picked anybody depending on my mood of the moment.Guilty Pleasures
102 Dalmations
... I never would have expected that I'd list a live-action sequel to a ill-advised remake of an animated classic. And even now, I can't help feeling slightly embarrassed. But what the heck . . . the macaw that thinks he's a rottweiler and a wonderful over-the-top performance from Glenn Close make this worth catching.Bedazzled
... What can I say? I like Brendan Fraser. I was sufficiently amused.Charlie's Angels
... It would be a complete waste of time if it weren't so splashy and exuberant. I need a food metaphor: cotton candy almost works for it's garish pink color, its speedly dissolution from substance to nothingness, and its circus-imagery invocation - only the overpowering sweetness keeps it from being the perfect metaphor for this movie.Mission Impossible 2
... A sequel that tops the original. If you like John Woo and all his hyperkinetic action, good-guy/bad-guy faces-of-the-same-coin overtones, and doves, you'll like this too.Pitch Black
... I thought Vin Diesel's character elevated this movie from B-grade science fiction to something a bit higher. But not quite high enough. I think my big problem with the aliens here was their dumb-brutishness. No cunning. No real sense of malevolence.Could Have Missed
Dancer in the Dark
... This was my first experience with Lars von Trier and his singing dancing Theater of Cruelty, and I'm not sure if I'll be dipping my toe in these waters again. Certainly it was like no musical I've ever seen, and Björk inhabits the character of Selma to an extent I wouldn't have thought possible, but as fascinating and painful as it was to watch, I'm not sure what I can take away from this movie aside from the unique experience itself. The melodrama is so extreme and unbelievable it's hard to find it cathartic, and while it's interesting to view a stylized America through the eyes of a director who's never been here, in which traditional villains and heros are inverted and capital punishment is (illuminatingly) carried out with a capital "C", I don't really feel broadened by it. Still, it's always interesting and often disturbing and I'd rather art make me feel uneasy rather than indifferent. Perhaps I will try these waters again some day.Gangster No. 1
... I was excited by the prospect of Paul Bettany playing the young gangster and Malcolm McDowall playing the old version, but really David Thewlis outshines them both. But I guess that's what happens when he's the only character with an emotional core. If nothing else the movie teaches us that even in the mob venue it's important not to obsess over your job. It's hard not to think that all Bettany/McDowall needed was a hobby. Or a girl. Wait, was that the point?George Washington
... I give it points for being distinctive, but I'm starting to think indie movies want me to believe. The only thing keeping this movie from being a favorite of mine was that it conjured barely a jot of emotional involvement from me. Maybe you'll have better luck. It seems most folks do.Spoiler: Highlight to viewmost missing kids are accidentally killed by their friendsThe Gift
... This movie had some great performances and much promise. Unfortunately, the plot was far too linear and predictable, and our heroine (played wonderfully, as always, by Cate Blanchett) had some emotional blind spots were just too jarring. And I could only accept/believe some of the villian's actions. Worth a rental on a slow night, but I wouldn't go beyond that.Italian for Beginners
... A Dogme 95 film which adheres to the requisite vow of chastity. It was fasinating to watch a movie shot handheld and stripped of dramatic lighting and filtering, makeup, sets, props, soundtrack, and the like. More interesting was the acting: I've become so accustomed to the language of big budget cinema that I unconsciously accept that the actors are acting like real people, and that better acting means "more real". The sheer reality of the performances in this movie, however, exposes the histrionics you tend to get with bigger budgets and larger-than-life stories. This is not intended to say one type of acting or movie-making style is superior to the other, just that the contrast is startling, and needs to be seen to be believed. That said, while I'm grateful for the experience, I found myself missing all the trappings that Dogme 95 films eschew. But I did enjoy the mundane tales of our seven intersecting players, and enjoyed the genuniely touching moments the film contains.The Original Kings of Comedy
... I think it's interesting that I liked these comedians inversely to the audience response. But they were all pretty funny. The documentary elements were minimal, so it's really just standup.The Patriot
... I heard some pretty scathing reviews of this movie, but I didn't think it was that bad. In some senses I think Mel Gibson's reluctant hero routine works better here than in Braveheart (which I liked). The historical liberties and distortions were too much for me - in particular, I thought it was tasteless at best to transpose a Nazi atrocity (the church scene) onto the British).The Perfect Storm
... The star of this movie was too-much the storm. The actors seemed overwhelmed by it as well. And while knowing the outcome doesn't always have this effect on me, here it made the whole movie feel flat. The side-story of the small vacation boat was quite gripping though.Quills
... Some good performances, particularly Winslet, but I found the "Sade as First Amendment Martyr" theme fairly absurd.The Road to El Dorado
... Has moments, although the horse gets most of them.Space Cowboys
... Fun to watch the old pros at work, but this dragged too often for me, and I found Eastwood's character too insufferable to root for.What Women Want
Should Have Missed
Blair Witch 2
... I expected to hate this, and instead I found myself indifferent. And while I didn't have time to listen to the whole thing, Joe Berlinger's audio track on the DVD was very interesting. He's obviously a very intelligent guy who set out to make a good, multi-levelled movie. It just didn't come out that way, and I think you can blame the acting and the ending the studio foisted on him.Hollow Man
... Some great effects. Verhoeven voyeurism taken to its natural extreme. I always feel somewhat unclean after watching one of his movies. Not sure if that's a compliment. I didn't hate it, but I can't go so far as to recommend it.How the Grinch Stole Christmas
... Upon finishing this, my wife wondered who the intended audience was; 8 to 10 year old boys, she guessed (too creepy for younger, too young for older, and not particularly interesting to girls). Jim Carrey had some good moments, but this felt like what is was: a great 30 minute Chuck Jones cartoon stretched too thin. Still, Howard does a better Tim Burton than Burton, if Planet of the Apes is the measuring stick. And Carrey's response to the "what is the meaning of Christmas?" query had me rolling.Shadow of the Vampire
... Willem Dafoe fares very well, much better than the rest of the cast, or the rest of the movie for that matter. It's not that I didn't catch the themes of obsession and monomaniacal genius or the filmmaking satire and in-jokes (although I'm sure I missed a few). I just didn't care.The Claim
... Gonna try this one again some day.U-571
... The comparisons to Das Boot are inevitable; sadly U-571 is overshadowed in every aspect. Rent this if you've watched Das Boot enough times to be bored by it. :-)Vertical Limit
... Some great stunts with some excitement, but the opening scene upon which the Chris O'Donnell/Robin Tunney tension is derived didn't work for me at all. Bad use of green screen, and poor acting. In fact, I thought Tunney turned in a weak performance, so it was hard to get caught up in her plight.El Sucko Grande
Mission to Mars
... Boring and unengaging.Red Planet
... Panned here.Reindeer Games
... I'll always be grateful to John Frankenheimer for The Manchurian Candidate and The Train, and my time would have been better spent rewatching either of those movies. Mostly dull and entirely implausible, this one dragged even Dennis Farina down (although his scenes were still the best thing the movie had going).The Sixth Day
... Disappointing because I heard this was Arnie's return to form after too many missteps. Just awful. And his performance was abysmal. Made me question my memory of finding him at least personable as an actor.
Cloned From:
nice list, tho the 'ian visits the record store' scene cracks me up!! hiii-Yaaa!! :)
hey mate is there a way i could change my LOg in name? i will be grateful for any help-Thx
take care From A_Movie_Fan
Sure, what do you want it changed to?
'Rushmore'
would be cool, if thats ok:)
well thx- take care
Done! You might have to login again.
thx mate
What I loved about Chocolat was the fact that it was sweet natured and fun. I put it in the great and said so what if it's predictable I enjoyed this film greatly. I stand by that statement. But I realized reading your review the other side of that so I figure I'll defend myself right here (for no apparent reason).
If I have to watch another socio-political love-fest of political values and dreary earnest film-making I'm going to scream, tear off my clothing and become a proffesional streaker, (scaring children and old women) who yells "entertain me or suck eggs" (probably not a good choice of words for a streaker).
There I feel better (don't mind me, I just had to get it off my chest.)
Tallyho
:?)
Rant anytime, I enjoy it. :-) If it helps, I believe LBangs is a fan of the movie as well. Ah yes, here it is (a little tricky to find since it got bumped as he saw more 2000 releases, but you can read his comments in the discussion).
Thx for the link. Me and LB against the werld.
Tallyho
:?)
Jim, do you have answers in mind for your two Battle Royale questions? If so, don't answer them yet quite yet. I want to guess. :-) Or were they just rhetorical?
Both are genuine questions. The big obstacle for me in answering the questions myself is that I don't have enough of a grasp on Kitano's pre-injury stardom in Japan, nor have I seen enough of his work, to guess at an American analog. I'd love to hear your guesses!
nice too see "Sexy Beast" on the list. this movie has too be my favourtie british movie. it also is very close to being my favourite "Crime" based movie (true romance is my favourite crime based) i love the moment, after they steal the monney from the bank and he meets the boss in the car..wait spoiler alert!
where the guy in the car says to Ben Logan "how much were you going to get for this".."we never agreed" then the guy says "i'm gonna give ya 10'a".."i've only got a 20" then the moment that always makes me feel sorry for him."you got change?" i feel so sorry for Ben after that bit! he didn't even want to do the crime. also the mirror scene and the pool scene (open credits) are very good.
your thoughts on this?
Yeah, it's a bit of a heartbreaker, but on the other hand he gets his life back, and that's all he really wanted, so I never really viewed it as a downbeat ending, especially considering how I thought it was going to go.
I loved the pool scene. Quite the attention-getter.