2004: Movies I've Seen
Submitted by AAA on Sat, 03/20/2004 - 11:15
Tags:
- Top Tier
- The Aviator
- Before Sunset - Beautifully shot, beautifully acted, beautifully written...my vote for most beautiful movie of the year, I suppose. Man my reviews are short these days. Grade: B+
- Birth - One of the most mysterious and difficult films I've seen since that last Nicole Kidman movie this year (see Dogville). Birth is a gorgeously shot film with beautiful music and wonderful performances, and also happens to be a movie I would recommend to very few people I know. It is a long, hard story that takes its precious time to reveal any of its secrets. Luckily for me, this is the kind of movie I eat up with a spoon. I'm not entirely sure how to begin analyzing it, but it is surely one of the most intriguing things I've seen in theaters this year. Grade: A-
- Closer
- Dogville - A brilliant, successful experiment from the mind of that ca-razy Lars Von Trier. Delving into forgiveness, punishment, righteousness, and, basically, all of human nature, Dogville ends up making such a lasting imprint on you, that the sparse and beautiful cinematography will stay in your mind for months. Nicole Kidman, Paul Bettany, and Patricia Clarkson lead a fantastic ensemble that works so well together that you'll swear that this village really exists. Also, watching it makes you realize how unsuccessful M. Knight is with his examination of small village lives. One of the absolute masterpieces of the decade. Grade: A
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Love is a difficult emotion to film. So much of love is internal, and so much of it is muddled and confusing. Love can easily produce annoyance and anger, and it can also produce moments of sublime happiness. The great thing about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is that it is a film that truly understands its subject. Instead of presenting a black and white view of love, it paints an honest, complicated portrait of two people falling in and out of love. Charlie Kaufman has always written smart films, but this time, his script does not feel cloying at all, and his subject is as emotional as Adaptation's was cerebral. Michael Gondry completely redeems himself for the misfire that was Human Nature. His direction is the cohesive element that keeps this puzzle from falling apart. Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet play introverted and extroverted, respectively, and they bury their personas within their finely etched characters completely. The performances seem seperate (and even distant) at first, but by the end, they have formed a beautiful duet. The rest of the cast is pitch-perfect as well. Kirsten Dunst and Mark Ruffallo shine in a sidenote romance that hits with surprising strength. I've heard some say that the film is too optimistic about love, but I must demand to differ. Never have I seen a more accurate portrait of the heartache of love, or the frustration that can be caused when you love someone so much that they can walk all over you and still be wonderful. Optimistic? No. Beautiful? Yes. Grade: A
- I <3 Huckabees - Wow. An insanely clever script helped along by wonderful performances and an utterly unique directorial vision. An entertaining and thought-provoking comedy that does a wonderful job staying afloat. Plus, who doesn't love seeing the wind taken out of the pomposity of philosophy? Grade: A-
- The Incredibles - Take a clever concept, add in a good story, mix with fully-developed characters and relationships and you may just have Pixar's wonderful formula. Beating the crap out of all of those fluffy, meaningless imitators (Dreamworks, I'm looking your way), Pixar manages to deliver another fantastic film that stands proudly with their best. A sidenote: when I asked my friend what she thought of it, she was slightly confused. She wondered why they bothered animating it. It wasn't Shrek-like in any way. My answer? Thank God. Grade: A-
- Sideways - Nothing beats a well-acted, well-written, insightful comedy. NOTHING. Grade: B+
- Spider-Man 2 - One of the best comic book movies ever comes right on the heels of the other gem of the genre, X2. Tobey Maguire turns in his best performance to date, and Sam Raimi has a blast with the material. Everything is working in every gear possible. If you see one blockbuster this summer. Well, you've heard that before. Grade: A-
- Second Tier
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy - A fun and funny piece of fluff that happens to benefit from a wonderful group of comedians. Grade: B-
- Coffee and Cigarettes - Some vignettes are perfect, others are tedious. The cinematic definition of a mixed bag. Highlight? Cate Blanchett's scene opposite herself. Grade: B-
- Garden State - I guess it's a little unfair of me to review this movie. It hits so close to the heart that there is no way I can look at it in an unbiased way. Coming from the generation that didn't grow up with The Graduate (though I LOVE the film) it feels perfect that we get our own little movie to represent our twenty-somethings lost in the post-adolescence wasteland. Zach Braff has a great eye for visual puns, and for simple beauty. A potent combination. The screenplay isn't perfect, but it is surprisingly firm, considering that Braff wrote it while a starving artist trying to explain his own life experiences. The entire thing has a simple grace that I can hardly explain. The acting by the three marquee actors is across the board wonderful. Natalie Portman finally emerges from the Star Wars wasteland with a dynamic, complicated performance. Maybe this won't appeal to older people, or maybe it will, but it certainly appealed to me. Grade: B
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Hero
- House of Flying Daggers - A beautiful romance with influences as varied as Shakespeare and old Westerns. Not as powerful as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (but what is?), but more effective than Zhang's other 2004 offering. Grade: B+
- Kill Bill: Vol. 2
- Kinsey - Exactly what biopics should be: entertaining, honest, and well-written. That said, this is probably gonna be a divisive film. Firstly, it deals VERY frankly with sex. But not just sex, it also deals with homosexuality, pedophilia, beastiality, and the idea of sex as a biological act as opposed to an expression of love. The movie never takes a side on the issue of love vs. sex, but the general message is that love and sex can exist seperately, but are wonderful together. Liam Neeson does a wonderful job, as does the rest of the supporting cast. Grade: B
- The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou - es Anderson has always loved the examine the fragile psyche and ego of men. In Bottle Rocket, he created a band of male friends who operated on so many different levels that they rarely ever truly communicated. In Rushmore, we watched two males at emotional crossroads turn on each other in order to salvage something positive from their crumbling fantasy worlds. In The Royal Tenenbaums, one man nearly destroyed the family that he didn't realize he loved. Finally, Wes Anderson has confronted the subject of the male mind head-on. Steve Zissou is the epitome of an Anderson male: selfish, self-deluded, immature, and in an immense amount of almost unspoken pain. Within the film, there are any number of male relationships (father/son, mentor/student, hero/adversary, and, most importantly, best friends) that alternately tear apart and unite the characters in the film. The women are shoved aside, purposely, the make room for the emotional baggage and enormous ego on display in Steve's dilapidated vessal, and as daring a move this is, it doesn't fully pay off. Anderson does a wonderful job examining every side of the male persona, but ignores one of the fundamental aspects of it: the connection between men and women. While the film is funny, it is also somewhat muddled, and some of the numerous sub-plots are barely given breathing room, a fate which they do not deserve. Zissou is an interesting character, but he is not written with the subtle grace of Royal Tenenbaum. Of course, that is not the intention of the film. Where The Royal Tenenbaums was cold and graceful, The Life Aquatic is frentic and dirty. The detachment of storybook-era Anderson is missing, and it doesn't sit as well as I'd hoped. The anachronistic slang of the previous films is replaced by cursing and bigotry, and the elegance of Tenenbaum New York gives way to the overblown machismo of Zissou's Bellefonte. This is an interesting experiment, but it creates a broader picture that has far fewer emotional peaks, and many more harsh setpieces. While the two center relationships (Zissou with his dead best friend, and Zissou with his could-be son) are painted beautifully, the peripheral relationships are treated as jokes, and this gives Anderson's usually revealing irony a touch of empty sarcasm. Instead of a Wintery portrait, we are given a watery essay, and just like an essay compared to a portrait, The Life Aquatic coems off a little cold. Grade: B
- Maria Full of Grace
- Mean Girls
- Shaun of the Dead
- Third Tier
- Dawn of the Dead - I wish that at some point, a filmmaker is brave enough to create a horror film that either is totally cerebral and thoughtful, or is just sheer blood and violence. At least that way, we'll get some variety in the genre. In the meantime, I'll live with a well-filmed, tense zombie movie every once and a while. While not as good as 28 Days Later..., which is the ultimate example of a movie that grows in memory, Dawn of the Dead is a more than servicable two hours of bloody entertainment. I found myself dissapointed that the film wasn't braver with its characterizations, but I give it credit for many of its wonderful action setpieces, and its totally effective first ten minutes. Oh, and it's also nice to see a movie that straddles the self-aware fence well. Grade: B-
- The Ladykillers - For the first time in years (or is it ever?), Tom Hanks buries Tom Hanks fully beneath the skin of a terrific character. His Professor is both hilarious and fully-formed, and, unless we're extraordinarily lucky, will be one of the top comedic performances of the year come December. Now, as for the rest of the film. A small-scale heist story isn't exactly what I had hoped for from the Coens, but they still manage to give me a few delights. The dissection of all of the characters speech patterns, vocabulary, and appreciation of gospel/poetry/a big butt is very funny, but I'm not sure where the Coens were going with that one. I love some of the obvious visual metaphors, but I feel like once again, the Coens are only flexing their muscles instead of using them. Oh, and for the love of all that is Holy in the world of cinema, can we please move away from regional stereotypes? I admit, they're insanely clever, but they seem to limit the Coens from delving deeper into their characters. However, it doesn't stop Tom Hanks. Grade: C+
- Million Dollar Baby - A movie that suffers in memory. It may be heart-wrenching (and how!), but, taken as a whole, the film is uneven and chock-full of useless cliches. Morgan Freeman basically reprises his role as Red from Shawshank Redemption, and the script gives the actor very little to actually work with. Hilary's character verges on sainthood at times, and while this makes the drama effective, it is not particularly believeable. Clint actually fares the best with a complicated character...but, once again, the film seems to justify or redeem every single action that the main characters make, so there is very little drama in the end product. However, that said, it is a better-than-average sports film, and it is definitely worth watching. Grade: B-
- The Mother
- Napoleon Dynamite - Amusing, but plodding. If you are in the right mood for this movie, you will love it. If not...well, I'm kinda lukewarm. Broad, straight-faced comedy seems like an oxymoron, but they really play it overboard here. Grade: C+
- The Phantom of the Opera
- Saved! - Funny, but generally bland where it should be biting. Confirms my theory that Jena Malone can't act. That said, there are some truly inspired moments....but alas, the whole just ain't nothing special. Grade: C
- Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - I have seen the movies of tomorrow! Actually, not really. A pretty entertaining piece of fluff, but doesn't have enough to keep it going its entire bloated running time. Grade: C-
- Team America: World Police
- Vanity Fair - Beautiful, beautiful costumes, and good music help to make this a slightly memorbale movie. I wish Mira Nair luck, but I must advise her to stay intimate. This is just too big and muddled to really do anything. Maybe I just don't like serialized soap operas, no matter how classic. Grade: C
- Fourth Tier
- The Day After Tomorrow
- Shrek 2
- The Village
- Bottom Tier
- Alien vs. Predator
- Ella Enchanted - A trifle of a film. Cheap production values, with very little creativity. I'm not sure what there is to say. I certainly hope that this fad of trying to be as modern or self-aware as Shrek disappears soon. Grade: D+
- Finding Neverland - Self-importance reaches new heights. Take one of the single best childrens tale ever told and suck all the fun and mystery out of it, blend in wonderful actors phoning it in, and you have this piece of rotten candy. I just wish I had these two hours of my life back. Grade: D+
- The Passion of the Christ - What the fuck? Grade: F
- The Terminal - One of the single most useless films ever made. First off, I'm not quite sure what the message was. If the idea is that patience and simplicity are virtues, we already saw this with Hank's Forrest Gump. If the idea is that bald men are bad, evil creatures, we already have Kingpin and Lex Luther from the comics. If I have to sit through another "feel good, ask no questions" film, I'm gonna urt someone. Don't make a film with heavy symbolism and subject matter and then expect me to just "go along for the ride". Dreadful. Grade: D+
Ooh, I can't wait to read your review of "Dogville", which seems to be a very polarizing movie.
In fact, the reception of "Dogville" is downright bizarre. It has a 69% at Rotten Tomatoes (and only 65% with the cream of the crop), which isn't too shabby, but isn't great either. Critics called it challenging, arrogant, nihilistic, long-winded, often in the positive reviews. Roger Ebert wrote that the film has no audience. But IMDB users have proven him wrong. At the IMDB, it's #102 on their top 250 list. I don't understand how such an apparently difficult film could really strike a chord with the average audience but have such a moderate reception with the critics.
My friend that I attended the film with and I both felt very positively about it, and most people in the theater seemed to feel the same way...of course, there were five of them, but still...
I think that most people seeking this film out are either established Von Trier fans, or are those who were not turned away by the reviews. I think that this audience would be much more receptive to the film than your average audience. Maybe that explains it.
I think it's safe to say that I fall into the very pro-Von Trier camp. Dogville is a very provocative film, and I wrote up a review for livejournal, but I'm going to take more time to think when it comes to my listology review.
Woo-hoo! Nice to see Kill Bill Vol. 2 score so well. Can't wait for your review! One of the drawbacks of parenthood: I made a rare theater outing last night, and had to walk past Kill Bill to get to the Home on the Range theater. I could feel the gravitational pull drawing me in as I passed. The blood-curdling screams coming from that theater alarmed Amelia though, so she dragged me past in a hurry. :-) I hope to make a solo theater outing in the next week or so.
Kill Bill was great, and you'd find no better way to spend an evening these days in the theater.
Unless of course, Dogville or Eternal Sunshine... is there. Damn. A three-way close call.
Why is it that last year ended up with one great film, and this year we already have three, and the year isn't even halfway done?
I assume since RotK was the only movie to get an "A" in your top tier from last year, that that's the one you're talking about? The A-minuses on that list were pretty darn good too, but I agree that 2003 is perhaps looking like the calm before the storm. Summer is coming though, which could really cast a pall over things if the blockbuster season is as lackluster as last year.
Ah yes, RotK was the 2003 film I was referring to. In retrospect, however, I may have to reorder, and move Kill Bill: Volume 1 up to an A, and move Elephant down to the third spot on my list. But, I'll have to see both films again before I decide.
Well, the summer is coming, but I have high hopes for quite a few films. The Bad Education by Pedro Almodovar is coming soon, as is Hero, which you liked, if I remember.
Speaking of Hero, I saw a GREAT trailer for it in front of Kill Bill. I hate the fact that it will be edited, but I am still looking forward to seeing it.
Actually, as we were watching that trailer, my friend Alan told me he heard that Quentin Tarantino convinced Miramax to release "Hero" uncut. He generally knows what he's talking about for this kinda thing, but he could be wrong.
And yes, "Kill Bill Vol. 2" was awesome.
That would be awesome beyond belief, and would make a lot of sense. One reason I love Quentin Tarantino? His true love for cinema.
My friends leaned over to me after the trailer and said "well, something else to bother living for". It was a joke, but it also is actually a good observation. Maybe this delaying of Hero will actually help the film bof office wise. Coming off of the word-of-mouth love for Kill Bill that developed during Volume 1's run, a samurai epic would be HUGE. It actually makes a lot of sense.
Also, what a BEAUTIFUL trailer.
Glad to hear the trailer impressed! If nothing else, Zhang makes stunningly beautiful films to look at. As a former cinematographer, he's a cinematographer's director, and with Christopher Doyle doing that job with Hero, it's visually sumptuous, so say the least.
I did hear QT personally went to bat for Hero, which endears him to my heart. I've heard Weinstein conceded to a limited release based largely on QT's lobbying. I haven't heard anything about cuts, but I certainly hope the rumors are true that it will released intact (and hopefully not dubbed).
If they're actually showing trailers it sounds like this release date might stick, but I've heard at least 5 release dates over the past year (or was it two?) that never happened, so I'm only guardedly optimistic. The previous release date I heard was mid-April, but of course once Kill Bill slipped that meant Hero had to slip too.
I gotta say it again: can't wait till my Kill Bill outing!
The battle scenes were made to look especially impressive. I can hardly contain my joy.
:)
Oo, another review I'm looking forward to! I'll be watching for your KB comments on your "Damn" list, AJ.
can i request a napoleon dynamite review?
Don't go see this movie based only on this review. It's much better than a C+, but noone asked me.
Well, I doubt anyone does anything based on my reviews.
Put those doubts to rest. Ginger Snaps is in my queue 'cause of you. And Topsy-Turvey and Hedwig are just a couple movies you've gotten me to watch.
How 'bout a Hero review, my good man?
I'm heading off to college tomorrow, but I'll post it soon.
I liked the film a lot. A lot. I can't say I loved it, but I found much about it to love.
Oh, and the colors...the colors...
Cool. Good luck at school!
Maria Full of Grace is opening here this weekend. Now I am even more eager to see it!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I'd like to debate the merits of Spider-Man 2 with you, if you don't mind. You say 'everything is working in every gear possible.' I agree that the comedy, the action, and the effects worked well.
But could you really stomach all that weepy melodramatic dialogue? It might have been more tolerable if it was better acted, I suppose. Every time somebody starts to have an 'emotional' discussion about responsibility or love, the film comes to a screeching halt and I was just dying to get to the next spectacular action set piece.
What else doesn't work? Here's some stuff taken from my review:
The Direction. The first film was obviously Sam Raimi with his hands tied by Sony: a purely mass-audience flick. The second film runs back and forth between pandering to 'Evil Dead' fans and mass-audience appeal. The result is a highly inconsistent mix of 'hokey' moments (a surgical 'chainsaw,' overdramatic cutting on an approach by Doc Ock, various cut transitions) and classic Hollywood 'careful' filmmaking. Perhaps the third film will complete the transition from Sony to Raimi's hands and we'll get a $250 million Evil Dead sequel starring Spider-Man and Venom. One can hope.
Consistency. Supposedly, Doc Ock is a normal human who happens to have super-strong tentacles attached to his spine. And yet, his human body takes more than a dozen fatal hits throughout the movie and gets nary a bruise. And, Spider-Man is supposed to be stronger and more resilient than a normal person, but can he really lift 10 tons of steel and throw it? Can he survive multiple free-falls from 300 feet in the air? At one point, Spider-Man swings into two children at what appears to be 60 MPH - faster than the truck threatening to hit them was traveling. Good job, Spider-Man - they made it past the truck but they're dying of internal bleeding.
By far, my biggest problem was all that damn melodrama in the midst of an otherwise fast-paced, spectacular action flick. But how would your respond to all these problems I had with this film (if you have time/energy/desire)?
Did you see Jon Stewart's comment on Kinsey on The Daily Show? I thought it was hilarious: "The group Focus on Families is up in arms over the new film Kinsey, claming, among other things, that the film biography of the famed sex researcher overstates the accuracy of Kinsey’s findings and fails to address his alleged forays into pedophilia. So let me just make sure I have this right: Focus on Families thinks the movie is bad for families because it doesn’t have enough pedophilia in it."
I'm glad you liked it too. I'll have to check it out soon.
It surprised me...a lot.
I guess I've been trained to expect uninteresting, misguided biopics, so when one comes around that actually has a lot going for it, I'm shocked.
Finding Neverland, on the other hand...URGH.
That's a great and very accurate review of The Life Aquatic, but I'm surprised you gave it a B after all that.
Well, the review was basically a an examination of the flaws in the film, while the strengths would have been the same strengths that Wes Anderson always has. Truthfully, I really enjoyed the film, but part of my dissapointment was the letdown from The Royal Tenenbaums, and that it not entirely the film's fault.
It's a very solid movie in a lot of respects, and I would definitely recommend it, hence the B.