Films I Watched - June, 2004
Submitted by lbangs on Thu, 06/03/2004 - 11:29
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- 6/14 - The Country Bears - It is a long, strange, twisted chain of events that put this disc in my player tonight, so don't even ask. The Country Bears is, of course, a crass attempt for Disney to fire up some synergy by cross-promoting its own amusement park attraction as a movie for the youngsters. Odd thing is, a memo must have flew out of director Peter Hastings’ window, because obviously nobody told him this was supposed to be a cynical film aimed at the cheap buck. Hastings hijacked the plot of The Blues Brothers and took much of its spirit with it. He hired actual talent for the film, recruiting Christopher Walken and Alex Rocco for work in front of the camera, Haley Joel Osment and the great, under-rated Stephen Root for voice work, and, oddly enough, the terrific but still largely unknown John Hiatt for the brunt of the soundtrack work. He threw in some fun cameos, some great in-jokes for the older folks, and some pretty good work from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, and while this film is hardly a new Citizen Kane, it is a ton of goofy, silly fun that soars miles above my expectations. Heck, despite a few average tunes, they even threw some Byrds and Dylan in the mix, and besides, the Bears’ amps go to twelve, baby. Can the end of the world be far behind? The Country Bears was actually a fun film, even for this old crank. (P.S. - If I was hit in the head earlier this morning, I don't remember it...) ***
- 6/13 - XXX - The biggest shock here isn't that XXX falls short of its desire to be THE action / espionage franchise of the new century, but that it doesn't completely suck. The formula is obviously Bond; only the main character and tone have changed. The latter has gone from tongue in cheek to fully blown cartoon, which isn't as horrible as I would have thought. Heck, even the James Bond films have taken many of the action scenes and gadgets to that level, so to some degree, it makes for a more consistent ride. As for the character, swapping out the slick spy for a rough extreme sports hero works rather well, actually, and fits the new tone to a tee. It helps that Rob Cohen surprises, turning in a quite good job directing the wild action stunts. Sadly, the shift goes a bit too far, passing from crazy into silly with many scenes, and the attempt to buddy up to a younger generation of males smacks a bit much of pandering in places, like the sad pathetic kid trying too hard to fit in. Still, XXX is not the all-out train wreck I expected. ** 1/2
- 6/12 - Daredevil - Though better than I expected, Daredevil is still a troubled film. Mark Steven Johnson may know his way around a CGI effects house, but he has trouble juggling a lame script full with lines that are meant to sound great as sound bites but make little sense otherwise. ("How do you kill a man without fear?" "By puttin' the fear in him." Huh?) The action scenes are flashy rather than involving, and since this film relies on them to carry so much of the show, that's a fatal flaw. During the Miller years, Daredevil was one of the best comics ever. There are shreds of this greatness blowing in the tatters of this bomb, and that helps it play better than it should, but you'll never really piece them together into a great film. Still, with a gun to my head, I'm not sure I wouldn't rather watch this again than Spider-Man. It certainly *looks* better... **
- 6/8 - Manhattan - If you do not fall in love with Manhattan from the opening series of heart-breaking shots of the city, perhaps it is time to pop in another movie. Manhattan is easily one of Woody's two best films. Here, his humor, insights, and grasp of drama combine with some stellar acting and impossibly beautiful images to make a masterpiece. ****
- 6/6 - X2: X-Men United - Yesterday, I hit a special sale where I picked up four used DVDs for 32 bucks. I managed to get this one, Bowling for Columbine, Talk To Her, and Lost in Translation. Yep, I'm pretty happy about it. So, my wife had yet to see X2, and we watched that tonight. I'm sticking even more firmly to my initial reaction - this might well be the best superhero film ever made... *** 1/2
- 6/3 - Intolerable Cruelty - I'm not sure really how this works; I'm still working on the math. Somehow, two beloved film figures in (IMHO) an artistic nosedive, an actress I usually cannot stand, and a great actor bounding with charisma tumble together and leave me giddy. Sure, the Coen didn't write this one, but the results are so hilarious, so laugh out loud funny, I am thinking that borrowed screenplay is a very good thing. Quite possibly this is the funniest, best comedy from a decade that desperately needs a great cinematic laugh. ****
I'm shocked, SHOCKED, to find a four-star Intolerable Cruelty review here! It's already in my queue, but geez, now maybe I'll have to actually look forward to it!
I second that! Maybe I'll actually see that movie instead of just brushing it off as more proof of, as you put it, their artistic nosedive! (I wonder if a message ever gets too long for the yellow box)
(Nope, guess not.)
Alrighty, let's not go all crazy on me. :-) To preserve any chance this site's markup will someday approach a semantic ideal, let's reserve the header tags for headers.
(sigh) Fine, fine, I'll stop. Though I can't promise I won't slip in the occasional header in a post. But that'll be rare.
Well, you both can imagine that I was really surprised to enjoy this one as much as I did. My wife and I picked it up on a whim, thinking that if we ever considered it twice, we would never watch it. Expecting to be disappointed (again), we were thoroughly delighted.
Give it a shot. You never know...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
4 stars? Wow now that is shocking. Just goes to show how subjective comedy is...I was bored by the movie.
The funny bone must be the most inconsistent part of the human anatomy...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Oh Manhattan...I love you.
Manhattan is one of my favorite movies. I know people who do not love it, but I don't understand them. The opening montage...
That final scene...
The contrast between this glorious film and the two I watched later in the week was pathetic. Alas.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I actually started on a rewatch of "Manhattan" (a movie I must admit to finding highly overrated on first viewing). I'm about halfway done. And one thing that I had forgotten about was that beautiful opening sequence of all the shots of New York City. That is rather dazzling.
For me, the movie starts going downhill from there, but I remain open-minded. :-)
Well, I've heard it is better to be loved than to be understood, and we all love you, AJ.
And, just to be fair, I'm sure you are baffled by my feelings concerning Vertigo...
As my wife pointed out, you could pause just about any shot in that opening and frame it. I'd put it on my wall, right next to my Belgian Harold & Maude poster or, even better, my publicity photo of Bogart and Bergman.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Interesting saying. But really, if you love someone without understanding them, do you really love them, or do you love some mistaken conception of them? That of course does not apply to your not understanding my thoughts on one movie; I was just thinking about that saying.
Additionally, I was liking the movie a bit better on a rewatch, and the last hour might have pushed it up into a second tier. However, my "Manhattan" rewatch is experiencing a bit of a delay, as the tape just broke. I left it in the VCR for a little while, including the days I was at the beach, so maybe the heat partially melted it or something. I dunno, I don't really understand electronics. I tried to fix it, but I think I just made it worse. Alas.
Ah, but see, when we say 'love', we may be speaking of two different things here. I think most folks who utter the above quote believe in love as a choice or action more than love as an attraction or emotion. If love is a choice or action, then it really doesn't matter what one's perception is - the love is the same. If it is an attraction, then obviously that conception comes into play.
Of course, ask me if either the first or second group is correct, and I'll likely answer, "yes."
Good (well, better) luck with the second viewing!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Gah! XXX and Daredevil back-to-back?! You're lucky to be alive man! Actually, I kinda liked XXX, probably a touch more than you did, but our thoughts are similar.
I just bumped Manhattan to the top of my queue.
Always happy to find new entries on this list!
Was I brave or what?
Truth be told, my wife is out of town this week, so I'm taking the opportunity to watch several films that exert a morbid hold on my interest that she simply wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. So far, my viewing is only strengthen my knowledge that she is the smarter one in this marriage.
Thanks for the encouragement! I can't wait to read your Passion of Joan of Arc review!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Here ya go!
Your secret is safe with me. I won't tell your wife you watched The Country Bears when she was out of town. :-)
Well, like I said, they had to be movies she pretty much had NO interest in, and it certainly fit the bill.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
One of the greatest directors in cinema is named Woody. Go figure. <--only in New York.
Tallyho
:?)
Or, perhaps, the Bronx.
Or Oklahoma, but I won't go into that... :)
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
You liked The Country Bears better than Spy Kids.
[note that is not a question - it's a statement, delivered puzzledly, with the glazed, uncomprehending gaze of one who sees the lone headlight bearing down on him, and hears the rumbling, but can't make the life-saving cognitive leap to belief because there are no train tracks anywhere to be seen.]
Pardon me while I go try and turn my world right-side-up again. :-)
It is probably work stress. Surely nobody in his right mind would favor Bears over Kids.
And yet, I do...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
i just watched "Country Bears" and i'm 17 but i found it quite funny at tmies :) lol...(should i admit that?)
No, you probably should not admit that, but hey, I am 31 and I made my confession.
I certainly enjoyed it more than any other Disney theme-ride adaptation so far (and yup, that includes Pirates).
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs