Movie Reviews 2004

Strange Days (1995)

Watched 12/29/04 I think I've seen this before, or at least most of it. Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett's performances here are fantastic. Here we've got a futuristic sci-fi film. Ingenious filming of these clips that are supposed to feel like you are watching recordings of other people's experiences. From their eyes, and a little bouncy, like real head movement, but not so much as to make you sick. Fairly brilliant work. Apparently they had to design and build a new sort of camera for this. The story isn't bad. It's very fast paced, lots of twists and turns, lots of surprises, and still fairly solid. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/13/05; 7:08:43 PM

City of Lost Children (1995)

Watched 12/26/04 Fabulous and surreal. I'm starting to really like the feel of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's films. They are beautifully filmed. This one teams together a circus-side-show strong man, and a little orphan-thief girl, in search of the man's little brother, Denree (age 5), who has been kidnapped by a man who steals the dreams of small children because he has none of his own. Things are very good or evil here, ugly or pretty, no ambiguity, which lends to the feeling that this is aimed more at children, or at least created from a child-like point of view. It's very dark. I've been hearing good things about this film for years, and now I know why. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/13/05; 6:58:38 PM

Tank Girl (1995)
Watched 12/25/04 I've seen this movie a dozen times, and still find it funny and entertaining. This time I happened to notice, in the scene where she's been lowered down "the pipe", that she has one green eye, and one blue eye. I think this subtly adds to her insane look. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/13/05; 6:49:50 PM

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)
Watched 12/25/04 Well, it's Shakespeare, it's got fairies, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kevin Kline, and other pretty and wonderful actors. So, I love it. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/13/05; 6:48:07 PM

Get Shorty (1995)
Watched 12/22/04 This was the second time I've watched this. It's an amusing film. Not a big laugh out kind of funny, but still funny. Mostly it's a lot of insider jokes about Hollywood. If you watch a lot of movies, like I do, then you will find this amusing for that if nothing else. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/9/05; 11:10:03 PM

Big Fish (2003)

Watched 12/19/04 This is an excellent film. It's beautifully filmed. The things that are exaggerated are always shinier or dirtier than they should be. The cast is fantastic. Ewan McGregor just cranks up the charm to eleven and it works so well. It's not too often you see a movie that is a fable. And this one is woven together with fact. It's about a son trying to figure who is dad is, he's trying separate the man from the tall tales he told about himself. I'm not a big Tim Burton fan, I don't like all of his movies, but I really enjoyed this one. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/9/05; 10:48:33 PM

Far From Heaven (2002)

Watched 12/17/04 This was difficult to watch in places. They do a really good job of recreating the era from the perspective of people who are tormented by it. It's about a 'perfect' married couple in 1950's Connecticut. Everybody thinks they're perfect, but then no one knows that he's gay. As this starts to come out and ruin their perfect life, the only person she can talk to is the gardener, who happens to be black. And of course she falls in love with him. Then she's as damned as her husband, as far as society is concerned. It's a tragedy really. I had a problem with how uptight and repressed everybody was, but I'm told that's pretty accurate. The whole thing has an edge to it. It makes you uncomfortable. And it's really sad to see the world from the perspective of perfectly good people, who are shunned for not being 'normal'. The whole thing is very well done. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/9/05; 10:38:06 PM

Pitch Black (2000)

Watched 12/13/04 If you go in with low expectations, knowing only that it's a low budget sci-fi movie, then you will probably enjoy it. I was thrown off by first hearing someone talk about how great and original it was. This brought my expectations up too high. It's great for such a low budget movie. It's interesting, but the pseudo-science is garbage (I'm told) and even for me the story of these massive predators evolving underground on a planet with three suns is a bit of a stretch. The part I enjoyed was the character study of Riddick. They don't tell you his story outright. They only give you tidbits here and there, and it isn't whole by any means. So if I ignore the implausible setting, and just watch this character deal with it, that's interesting. I enjoyed that. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/8/05; 3:43:58 PM

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
Watched 12/12/2004 Another great comedy from 1988. Still funny after all these years. We were all cracking up at Kevin Kline's antics as Otto. The core set of actors are all really great. John Cleese, Jaimie Lee Curtis, and Michael Palin included here. I don't think I'll ever tire of this one. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/8/05; 3:02:38 PM

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

Watched 12/11/04 I very funny movie, that I hadn't seen in years. I really enjoyed watching it again. Steve Martin and Michael Caine both do a phenomenal job here as a couple of scam artists who prey on rich women for a living. They get into a bit of a turf battle, and they set a wager to see who gets to stay and who has to leave. Hilarity ensues. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/8/05; 2:55:05 PM

Kinsey (2004)

Watched 12/10/04 Wow, I was really amazed at how good this movie is. It's a drama, and a biography. It has a stunning cast, good writing, and is beautifully filmed. And I find that the central theme about how there had never been any scientific studies about human sexuality before Kinsey, to be fascinating and timely. Fascinating that people just functioned on myth and here-say, and no one took the step towards getting real hard data before. Timely because I see a modern trend towards hiding real information from people, especially 'kids'. This seems like a back-slide to me. We have real scientific data now, and people are still so uptight about sex that they seem to prefer myth and whispers to the truth. Anyway, this is an excellent film that I recommend everybody see. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/8/05; 2:48:05 PM

Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Watched 12/8/04 This is a fun heist movie. With a little more going on than you think. And they save a couple surprises for you in the end, that's nice. Lots of good actors fighting for screen time. Definitely worth seeing once. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/8/05; 2:13:29 PM

House of Sand and Fog (2003)

Watched 12/5/04 First and foremost, this is a tragedy. It's an intense drama where most of the characters are dead or much worse off in the end then they were in the beginning. Happy endings are so very popular that I think most folks won't like that so much, but if you know what to expect going in, and you know that it's an excellent film, then maybe you will enjoy it. All of the actors do a fine job, especially Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/6/05; 10:10:40 PM

Blast From the Past (1999)

Watched 12/2/04 Another entertaining Brendon Fraser flick. The story is a big fantastical 'what if' scenario. And all of the characters are well written and acted. It's all quite a lot of fun. Christopher Walken as an excentric man who takes his pregnant wife into a bomb shelter in 1964 because he things the commies are bombing the US. Mind you he's built a shelter they can live in for 35 years. Sissy Spacek as the wife who goes a little nuts down there over the next 35 years. Brendan Fraser as their son, grown up and going out into the world for the first time. Alicia Silverstone as the jaded woman he meets, hires to help him restock the shelter, and of course falls in love with. And Dave Foley as her best friend, roommate, gay guy, being helpfully catty thru the whole thing. If your looking for a good comedy, I recommend this. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/3/05; 7:58:40 PM

Angel, Season Two (2000-2001)

Started 11/3/04 - Finished 12/1/04 (Season 2 Episode Guide) It was better then the first season certainly, but it was still a bit all over the place. It seemed to me that there was one major arc for 80% of the episodes and then it just got dropped and they did something completely different for the last 20%. That last bit going off into silly, fantasy land, instead of the dark broodiness of the early stuff. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/3/05; 7:44:53 PM

Bedazzled (2000)
Watched 11/30/04 Charming film. Brendon Fraser is a comic favorite of mine. And he does a splendid job here as the various bizarre characters he becomes as he makes wishes (sold his soul for them) and the Devil grants them in the most twisted ways possible. Lots of fun. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/3/05; 7:37:26 PM

Run Lola Run! (1998)
Watched 11/28/04 Quite original in my experience. The repetitions of the same story were not at all boring. The variations and the connections, and the addtional things you learned each time, only made it more interesting, and richer for it. It probably wouldn't have worked if it wasn't so fast paced. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 1/3/05; 7:31:01 PM

Mean Girls (2004)

Watched 11/27/04 I picked this one because I wanted something funny, and this was written by a woman from SNL. And making fun of American high school girls is fairly easy work, I should think. We laughed out loud at the various absurd events, some of which are more blown out of proportion then others. Some slap stick. Lots of good comedic acting here. We enjoyed it. If you want something not too complicated, and you want to laugh, this is a good choice. They actually started with a book, called Queen Bees and Wannabes, which is a non fiction work about high school girls, and the social structures in American high schools, etc... It's interesting what they did with that. There is a moral delivered about being true to ones self, but they don't bludgeon you with it. They do a fairly good job of it by focusing on the comedy. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 12/12/04; 1:48:54 PM

Triplettes de Belleville, Les (2003)
Watched 11/26/04 It's hard to think what to say besides: weird. Ummm, the animation was pretty. But the story, told with very little dialog, starts out strange and grows to unsettling in places. And that song, even though I didn't understand any of the words (in French) it still got stuck in my head for days. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 12/12/04; 1:43:38 PM

Down with Love (2003)

Watched 11/26/04 This was fun. An homage to the early 60's romantic comedy. Very stylized. This isn't the real New York City, not even from the 60's, this is NYC as seen thru the early 60's Hollywood movie. It even has a bit of singing and dancing. Ewan McGregor, and Renee Zellweger do a fantastic job. I enjoyed their perfomances very much. The stories, costumes, the plot, everything is done right. The color was maybe too modern, but that was about it. And that's a fairly thin complaint. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 12/12/04; 1:39:03 PM

The Incredibles (2004)

Watched 11/24/04 This is a really fun super hero movie. They never bother to explain why there are some people with super hero powers. That's just the way it is. Interesting premise. That all the super hero's go into hiding because regular people start to freak out. Then they are all going stir crazy in hiding, which makes them easy pickings for an evil villian who starts finding them. Some of the morals are delivered a bit too heavy handed for me. I felt that the teamwork and family messages were too obvious. I don't think that even children like to be force fed this stuff. But overall it was still an enjoyable ride. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 12/12/04; 1:25:32 PM

Jersey Girl (2004)

Watched 11/21/04 I was seriously disappointed with this movie. I really wanted to see it, both for Liv Tyler and because it was directed by Kevin Smith. Liv does okay here, but not great, and she doesn't have a whole lot of screen time. The motivations of her character were confusing to me, as well. This movie seems to almost be a part of the Clerks to Dogma series, the only thing missing is Jay and Silent Bob. And a believable plot. That's missing too. This film is shoddy, unoriginal, and just plain stupid in places. First, when the successful young executive becomes a widower with an infant, why does he offload the kid on his father, when he should have hired a nanny? Later he gives up a second shot at his chosen career so that he can be a garbage man and spend time with his kid. Why? Because the opinion of a 6 year old who says she doesn't want to move to the city is more important then the opinion of an adult who wants to give her a better life and a better education, and to improve his own life as well. So what's the message here? When you have children you must give up your life and serve their every whim. That's garbage, and anyone who believes it gets what they deserve and is training their children to grow up to be as disastisfied with life as they are. And the ending is the most tired and overused option in Hollywood. Dad needs to be the hero of the day by miraculously making it from Manhattan to Jersey during rush hour for his kids Xmas pagent. *yawn* I hope this isn't an indication of what we can expect from Smith from now on. I'm not sorry about the spoilers in this, because I don't think anyone else needs to bother seeing it. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 12/12/04; 1:11:15 PM

National Treasure (2004)

Watched 11/21/04 This movie is a blockbuster ride. It's fairly fast paced. The plot isn't very complicated, but it is fun. I'd heard this was a rip off of the Da Vinci Code book, but I think this is more a case of jumping on a bandwagon. The stories are only the same in type, not content. They are both treasure hunt stories, fast paced, lots of puzzles to decipher, an enemy treasure hunter, and a cop on their trail. But the comparisons end there. The DVC has a very religious history base, lots of art history too. But it's all about the mystery of the holy grail. This movie is really a treasure hunt with a big pile of gold at the end. But it was a fun ride. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 12/12/04; 12:55:29 PM

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 5 (2000-2001)

Started 11/3/04 - Finished 11/20/04 (Season 5 Episode Guide) I liked "The Replacement" the best. This has to be one of the best Xander episodes I've seen yet. He plays two versions of himself. One is his worst side, all the insecurities and clumsiness. The other is all the best stuff, confident, smart, and capable. It's really great. I hated Dawn to begin with, they made her the most shallow and irritating 14 year old possible. It's easier to stomach her later as she becomes more three dimensional. The fantasy affair between Buffy and Spike got to be a bit over the top at times. More groaner then laugh. I think that the writers were really struggling with how to keep Spike in the group this season, and they didn't always do a good job with it. On the other hand, I've appreciated the way Spike represents the hard truth so often, when everyone else is being too polite. The death of Joyce was sad, but very well done. Everyone dealt with it in their own way, it was very real. I really enjoyed the growth of Tara's character, and her relationship to Willow. Glory, the big enemy for the season, was useless to me. Overall, interesting character work, not always great on the bigger arc. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 12/6/04; 1:08:17 AM

City of Angels (1998)

This is a very well done movie. The actors are good. The rules get set up early and the movie unfolds from there gently and beautifully. It doesn't beat you over the head with religion. It simply states that for the purposes of this film, heaven and angels exist. It's a well constructed fantasy world, as far as I'm concerned. Now, I really need to see Wings of Desire. (This is a remake of that one.) Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 11/20/04; 1:43:18 PM

The Barbarian Invasions (2003)

Watched - 11/7/04 Wonderful film. I had no idea what this film was about beforehand. I knew it had won an Oscar, but that was about it. So, for anyone else who's interested: It's about a man in the hospital, dying, and the friends and family who come to see him. It's about his last days, and his relationship to the various people. I think this would count as a Chick Flick. It's about relationships, and it's very emotional. I adore this sort of film when it's really well done. I like it because while he reflects back on his life and wonders whether he did it right or not, you are subtly incouraged to do the same. If you are young, consider these things now. You have a finite number of years ahead, are you doing what you want? Will you be proud to look back on your life later? I don't think it's wise to wait until it's too late to think about it all. Besides that, I'm fascinated by relationships. There is his ex-wife, who threw him out 15 years ago, but is the first one there for him. His son, who he is estranged from, coming a long way to take care of his father in his last days despite their problems. The catholic nun who debates history and religion with him. The ex-mistresses, and a variety of other friends who show up. Some of it seems like a living wake. Taking place just before the man dies, instead of just after. It's all just marvelous. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 11/8/04; 10:27:27 PM

Angel, Season One (1999-2000)

Started 10/7/04 - Finished 10/27/04 (Season 1 Episode Guide) Not great, but then I'd seen most of it before and knew that. Sometimes I wonder how TV shows make it past the first season. They flail about trying to figure out what they are about and the characters start out a bit thin. Luckily they brought some pre-developed characters over from Buffy. But the reasons why they are together here are a bit thin. And the new guy at the beginning of the series, Doyle, why the hell did he get killed off suddenly in episode 9? Something ugly must have happened behind the scenes with the actor is all I can think. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/30/04; 1:59:10 PM

Moonlight Mile (2002)

Watched 10/24/04 Marvelous movie. This is the second time I've seen it, and I just love it all the more. All of the actors are fantastic. The movie is set in the 70's, but that is really subtle, you get the feeling that it could be anytime. There are just a few details that make it specific. The music is all period, and I just love music from the 70's. References to Vietnam, and the changing face of American shopping. Little specialty shops are dieing off in favor of big markets that have everything. But all of this is just seasoning. This movie is about love, and grief, and growing up, trying to decide what you want to do with your life, even if you thought you already knew. It's about the relationships of all the people involved. This is a delicious movie. I'm thinking I'd like to own a copy. I feel like I'll want to watch it every year and see what new things I might learn from it over time. One of the big overarching themes I saw this time was how it's no good to try and make everyone happy, or even just other people. In the end, if you aren't taking care of yourself, you're likely to fail at making anyone else happy. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/30/04; 1:56:13 PM

Assassination Tango (2002)

Watched - 10/23/04 Not a great movie, but the tango parts are fabulous. I think the story was just thrown together as an excuse to make a movie with a lot of tango dancing in it. You've got an older professional hit man, who gets sent to Argentina on a job. Thens get messed up and he has to stay for several weeks. At home in New York he likes to dance, so he goes looking for clubs to dance in. He's not familiar with tango, and becomes fascinated. He meets a beautiful dancer, and asks her to teach him. Which she does. Every so often the assasination part of the story butts in. Which is too bad. If you watch this movie, with the expectation that the dancing is great, and the rest is fluff, you will be fine. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/30/04; 1:46:42 PM

Vera Drake (2004)

Watched - 10/21/04 I've seen some marvelous movies lately, and this is one of them. This one had better be up for some Oscars. This is the story of a woman in England in the 1950's, who is helping young women in trouble (performing abortions). The film shows you a loving woman, who loves and is loved by everyone. She cleans houses, and stops in to care for a man in a wheelchair, and his family. She cares for her mother, who lives alone, and takes very good care of her own family, and even brings home a stray who she doesn't think is eating well enough. And she helps young women in trouble, because she believes they need her help. She is permorming the very safest abortions for the day, she doesn't take a penny from them, and though she's probably been doing this for 20 years or more, she's never heard of a one of them become ill afterwards. Until now, and that's what gets her in trouble. It's a one in a thousand chance I suppose. The film presents all of these rich characters, and this situation, and it asks you if you believe that she deserves to go to jail for years for what she has done. It doesn't hit you over the head with a hammer, it just serves all the information to you with great skill. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/30/04; 1:32:58 PM

I (Heart) Huckabees (2004)

Watched (in LA) - 10/15/04 I really enjoyed this one. Did you ever see the Royal Tenebaums? Did you like it? If so, you will probably like this one too. There are a lot of really great actors in this one, and they all do a marvelous job. I laughed out loud repeatedly. But in the end I felt a little sorry for the guy who played the central character, Albert, this guy didn't have a chance while surrounded by Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin, and Jude Law. He does a fine job, he just gets lost in there. Even Mark Wahlberg does a good job of holding his own. He's not a bad actor. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/30/04; 1:20:31 PM

Hellboy (2004)

Watched 10/4/04 (Okay, I've gotten way behind so these will be quick) I enjoyed this movie. The story was interesting, the acting was good, and the special effects and make-up were all well done. I kind like alternate reality stuff, but some things go to far. Why drag Rasputin in? I don't think it was done well enough, it didn't work for me. But if I set that aside, I enjoyed the other characters, and what they were doing overall. The ending was a touch week though. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/30/04; 11:43:45 AM

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)

Watched 10/3/04 This has got to be one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time. It's a bunch of vignettes, where all that is in common is "coffee and cigarettes". Here's what it looks like they did: Let's grab two or three, at least somewhat famous, people and set them across a table from each other, and see what happens. Just roll camera and print it. Crap, it's mostly nothingness crap. They talk a lot and say nothing. For example, they put Iggy Pop across a table from Tom Waits. And guess what? They say nothing! What an utter waste. The only one that is worth watching is the one with Alfred Molina and Steve Coogan. They are good actors, and they came up with a good gambit, and some milestones at least and improv'd the bits in between. It was marvelous. But it doesn't quite make the whole thing "worth the price of admission". Even on a rental. The one with Cate Blanchett came in second. It was somewhere in between. It was a little better than nothing. The conversation wasn't deep, but it was real, and she was playing against herself using a split screen, so it had to be scripted ahead of time. It was fun. The other ten were utter crap. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/11/04; 10:45:17 PM

Empire Records (1995)
Watched 10/2/04 What can I say, I've seen this movie a couple dozen times, and it still makes me laugh, despite the fact that I can quote at least half of it. Here's my favorite: Warren - "Who glued these quarters down?" AJ - "I did" Warren - "What the hell for, man?" AJ - "I don't have to explain my art to you, Warren." Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/11/04; 9:52:42 PM

Bandits (2001)

Watched 10/1/04 Watching a movie that has lots of twists and surprises, for the second time is always fun. You get to watch for details that you might not have really noticed the first time around. And I still really enjoyed this movie. All three of the main actors are excellent. And frankly, the positive poly element makes me happy all by itself. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/11/04; 9:32:23 PM

Ray (2004)

We attended an early screening on 10/10/04 at the Cinerama, and listened to the director speak afterwards. The hassles of an early screening: There were a lot of people who wanted in, and we weren't super early so the place was already pretty full when we got inside. The balcony was entirely reserved for some company's employees, so we lost time there, and finally got seats together in the front left corner. As Michael said, there were at least 15 seats that were worse than ours. But once the movie started we found that they weren't impossible. The view was just a little distorted, but I got used to it fast, and didn't give it another thought. The movie was beautifully filmed, and had a cast full of wonderful actors. Jamie Foxx did an amazing job. I can't claim to be a huge Ray Charles fan, but Jamie's performance was still right on as far as I could tell. The mother, the little brother, wife, girlfriend, band members, I didn't see a slacker in the bunch. All of these performances were great. I found it interesting that the backbone of the story here was Ray's womanizing and drug use. He became a heroin addict early on, and any time someone tried to call him on it, he would say, "Have I missed a gig? Don't I record new tracks in one take? Don't I provide for my family?" He didn't see how this was damaging his life, he was functional, so why should he stop? Well he got caught at customs with drugs on him, and his ex-girlfriend died of a drug overdose. He swore he never let her touch drugs when they were together, and his wife says, "Yeah, I'm sure you were a real good influence." They show us these things as a combined force to convince him and send himself to rehab. And he quits cold turkey. No methadone for him. As for the womanizing. Well, he gets married young, and he has a lot of mistresses on the road. But when any of them ask him to leave his wife, he sends them packing. If any of them call him at home, or try to get his attention when he's with his wife, he tells them off. He says once that his own father was never around, 'cause he had three families, and Ray wants to have just the one. Well, at the same time I think he was afraid to be a father or a family man, and his genius was in his music, so he was gone a lot. The music is all Ray Charles. He made all new recordings for this movie. And the music really gets used well to accentuate the story. When he's in the middle of a break up with Margie, and she sings "Hit the Road Jack" to him, it's brilliant. But then, I'm probably telling too much story here. This was a beautiful movie, with a well told story, and great actors. I highly recommend it. After the two and a half hour movie was done the audience applauded. And then the director, Taylor Hackford, came out front to talk to us about making it. It was interesting to hear about Ray Jr. calling him up and inviting him to do a movie about his dad, to Taylor meeting Ray Charles himself, and working with him for something like 14 years on this, because none of the studios wanted to make it. And Ray just kept telling him that it would happen when it was the right time. And it seems it finally is. The movie was pretty much done before Ray died six months ago. So he did get to see how it came out in the end, and he quite approved it. Oh, and I was quite amused that the director kept referring to Ray as RC. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/11/04; 11:33:37 AM

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 4

Started 9/19/04 - Finished 9/30/04 (Season 4 episode guide) "Hush" is one of my favorite episodes ever. It's really creepy, and a lot of stuff happens in the silence to propel the plot of the season along. "Beer Bad" is also great. I laugh myself silly at cave-girl Buffy's antics. Most appreciated is when she bonks Parker over the head a couple times and knocks him out. "Parker bad." Overall, a fairly good season. The big villian of the season being the government is quite different. Scarier in that it's part of our real world. It clashes a bit with the magic-vampires-slayer world of the show, but since it's supposed to be an alternate reality of our modern world, I suppose it makes sense. Since I find the show to be more fantasy than horror, I like that the scarier side of it is usually a bit fluffy. I'm not actually watching it to be scared. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/3/04; 5:08:50 PM

Connie and Carla (2004)

Watched 9/30/04 Exactly what I expected, and I really enjoyed it. You've got a couple of women from Chicago who love performing their favorite songs from musicals at dinner theatres. They see someone get shot, and run away to LA to hide. And they stumble into a gig doing their own show, but they have to pretend to be drag queens. Much silliness ensues. Nia Vardalos is great. As good as in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but different. I don't think this is a simple case of her just playing herself. Maybe she is finding little quirks in herself, and writing them all blown out of proportiion. But I can't say this is the same as in MBFGW. Toni Collette is great as her nervous, but enthusiastic partner. David Duchovny, as the straight brother of one of the queens is just wonderful too. I've always liked him, but haven't seen him in anything in ages. At one point he does this fabulous little impression of a queen, asking what it's all about. Good question. I laughed out loud a lot, which is a really good thing. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/3/04; 4:47:10 PM

Grand Hotel (1932)

Watched 9/26/04 A plush hotel in Berlin, and an intriguing cast of characters. I liked the Barrymore brothers best as the Baron/Thief, and the dieing middle class man who has desided to spend his savings living it up for a bit. Crawford does a good job as a gold digging typist, but I wasn't so found of Garbo's melodramatic prima-ballerina. She was too absurd. She would never get a job in Hollywood today acting like that. The story was really slow going in the beginning, and I was wondering what all the hype was about, but it did pick up and redeem itself rather well by the end. Worth the price of admission. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/3/04; 2:45:39 PM

The Tick (2001)

Finished watching 9/25/04 After "Touching the Void" we needed to watch something completely absurd. This was just the thing. I'm not usually all for 'completely absurd', and I don't think I'll watch them again. But they were funny, and worth watching. Once you get used to the world and the characters it gets a little funnier. Patrick Warburton does an amazing job as The Tick. Completely focused on his missing to stomp out evil, but then you take a closer look at his eyes, and you know there isn't anyone home in there. And if he talks for more then a sentence or two, he will just babble on incoherently. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/3/04; 2:39:08 PM

Touching the Void (2003)

Watched 9/25/04 The true story of a couple of mountain climbers' adventure on Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985. Up was relatively easy, it was down that nearly killed them both. The thing that kept me going through this torturous tale was that it was punctuated by bits of interviews with the men telling their own tale. They do live through it. Both of them. But as the story unfolds you can hardly believe it's possible, and that's the point. It's about making the best choices you can in the hardest of circumstances, and about continuing to make choices and take one step at a time, and surviving. It's not about just giving up and letting it kill you. It's the kind of movie that is meant to remind you that no matter how hard your life may seem, it could always be much worse. Just remember, you aren't alone, dehydrated and starving, with a broken leg, dragging yourself one inch at a time down a mountain. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 10/3/04; 2:31:29 PM

Cruel Intentions (1999)

Watched 9/20/04 I've seen this before, closer to when it was new. I remember liking it. But that I thought they should have been in college instead of prep school. That memory must have been distorted by the knowledge of how old the actors are. Because in rewatching I discovered that they did a good job of portraying spoiled teenagers. And I enjoyed seeing it again. I think Sarah Michelle Gellar should get more villian roles, and that Ryan Phillippe just needs to be in more movies. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 9/24/04; 8:11:29 PM

xXx (2002)

Watched - 9/17/04 Flashy and way over the top. They aren't trying to be realistic here, and at the same time I'm certain they are trying to be a new hip version of James Bond. Big flashy stunts, the plot is far less than perfect, the women are unreal, and the hero is a cool character. There's one big obvious difference in our American James Bond, he's a criminal, and he's only doing a job for the government because it'll keep him out of jail. My expectations were very low going in. I expected it to be pretty with lots of flashy stunts, and that's what I got, so I was happy. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 9/24/04; 7:50:51 PM

Labyrinth (1986)

Watched - 9/14/04 Seems like I've seen this dozens of times now, and I still really enjoy it. You can tell it's nearly 20 years old, in the special effects area, but the combination of Brian Froud's art, and Jim Henson's brilliant work, it's all still quite wonderful, and I feel the need to revisit the labyrinth at least once a year. (Wow, I've just discovered that there is a new Collector's Edition DVD available. Yep, I really want that. I'll just put that on my wish list. ~Snow) Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 9/24/04; 7:46:02 PM

24 Hour Party People (2002)

Watched 9/12/04 (evening) A strange cacophonous movie. Apparently based on the true story of Tony Wilson and Factory Records, and the rise of Punk and other things, ranging from the mid-70s, to the early 90's. Even Tony, in the film, says that this isn't really a story about him. He feels like a bit player in his own story. It was worth watching. I like learning stuff about the music industry and the rise and fall of various bands, and/or genres of music. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 9/24/04; 7:37:02 PM

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Watched 9/4/04 It's been years since I last saw this. It's a movie that I really like. Dark comedy, with lots of good actors that I like. John Cusack and Minnie Driver are both fabulous. I laughed out loud more than once. Definitely worth seeing again. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 9/24/04; 7:32:34 PM

Hero (2002)

Watched 9/12/04 (afternoon) Incredibly beautiful and worth seeing on the big screen. Here is a story that unfolds by being told several times. Each time, the emphasis is on something else. And the color of the scenes is perfect for it. For example when everything is red, the theme seems to be passion, lust and jealously. When we reach white, everyones motives seem to be more pure. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 9/24/04; 7:20:34 PM

Buffy, Season 3

Started 8/29/04 - Finished 9/10/04 This is where I connect with what I've already seen. I started watching Buffy at the beginning of the third season, back when they were new. This may still be the best season overall. They finally get good with the writing, especially dramatic tension. It's got so many things going for it. Faith, the return of Angel, Oz, Band Candy, Bad Willow, the Mayor, etc... (Useful Season 3 episode guide.) It's hard to pick just a couple favorites here. But "Band Candy" keeps jumping out at me. I love the scenario with Giles and Joyce suddenly acting like irresponsible teenagers together. They reference this for a long time to come. "The Wish" comes in second. While I'm not happy with the pretense that over one kiss Cordelia is this horribly wronged woman who needs vengence, the whole alternate universe thing is really fun. The best part of this being the evil vampire version of Willow. The rest of the good stuff is about characters, or stuff that develops over several episodes and not so much about a single episode. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 9/24/04; 7:07:45 PM

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 2)

Started watching 8/15/04 - Finished 8/27/04 You'll notice less movie reviews lately, that's because we've been watching a lot of this. We started at the begining of season one, and we've been watching a season every two weeks. Which I believes is more hours in front of the TV then we normally spend on movies. We're addicts. The problem is going to come when we reach the end of season six, and season seven won't quite be out yet. I won't do an episode by episode review, that would be silly. But I will mention a couple favorites. "Ted" was really good. I think John Ritter was an excellent choice. "Halloween" was bizarre, and quite entertaining. And of course the finale got to me. Oz is one of my favorite all time characters from this show, and I'm sad that he doesn't get very much screen time. It was good to see how he gets introduced, but I wanted to see more of him. Xander was more of a pain in the neck then anything. He plays the wussy nice guy most of the time and provides comic relief, but when he lashes out at or about Angel he is just nasty. It's gotten better and I don't regret coming back to these early episodes to see what I missed. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 9/13/04; 11:40:50 PM

Before Sunset (2004)

Watched 8/19/04 This was beautiful. I recall liking the fist one more than I expected too. And my expectations for sequels have been increasing a lot this year. It seems to me like sequels used to be crappy rehashes of the first movie, but it seems like the studios are learning that that doesn't work for people as well as they would like it to. And yet this exceeded my expectations as well. Before Sunset is told in real time, and it's only 80 minutes long! Maybe it's a bit romantic, but not entirely. Where have they been in the 9 years since there first and only meeting? What happened six months later when they were supposed to meet again? How have they changed? Etc... None of the answers are easy, and they are all very human and real. These people don't live in a fantasy land, they could be our neighbors. The ending is only slightly less ambiguous than the first one, and it's perfect. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 9/13/04; 10:34:31 PM

Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)

Watched 8/13/04 Well it was good to see Vol. II. It definitely rounded the whole thing out. It's brutal, and I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, but I appreciated what they were doing, even if I didn't get all the references. It was predictable in a lot of ways, but that's what you get when you are doing an homage to a genre or two. Uma Thurman did a great job. I wasn't nearly as impressed by Daryl Hannah as I wanted to be. Everyone else did a good job. The visuals were great, and the story moved a long a lot more in here. In Vol. 1 we mostly got set up and explanation. They were very different, and at the same time complimentary. They were worth seeing once. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 9/13/04; 10:23:48 PM

Buffy: The Vampire Slayer (Season 1)

Watched Jul. 31st - Aug. 9th, 2004 I'd never seen the first season before. I started watching (new episodes) at the beginning of the third season. So it's kind of odd to go back and watch earlier episodes than what I know. The characters are thinner in general, and the story is a little scattered, but at the same time it wasn't bad. I was amused to see that they made some effort to pick up where the movie left off. Referring to the events in it as the recent past. I never knew that Xander had been in love with Buffy, or that Willow was constantly pining for Xander. I'm glad these things pass. I'm glad that it was good enough to draw an audience and to keep going. Angel was annoying the first several times we meet him. Speaking in criptic sentence fragments and disappearing. I was glad when they developed his character a bit more and gave him full sentences to speak. Giles is a whiny book worm here, where I know he becomes a much stronger character later. I even think they changed his back story later. I recall him having been quite the wild and reckless magic user in his youth and that's why the Watcher's recruited him. Brought him into the fold before he became one of the bad guys. But in one of these early episodes he performs a spell and then says something like, 'That was my first casting ever, I hope I didn't screw it up.' I found The Master a bit lame, and the 'demon of the week' episodes a bit disconnected, but that's because I've seen later material. I know it gets better. I know it becomes more of an integrated story throughout each season. I'm glad I've finally gotten to see these, it makes the story more complete. On to season 2 for me. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 8/14/04; 11:20:57 AM

The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

Watched 8/6/04 It seems to me that Hollywood is getting better at making sequels. Maybe they finally got the clue that recycling a popular movie is just crap, and people know it. So, with the first one we got some romance, and a guy with amnesia. In this one, no romance, it's much more bleak. He still has amnesia. There is another mystery to uncover. Something he can't remember has shown up to try and kill him. He's a reformed killer. He was trained to be a killer, an assasin, before. But he is horrified by the past peeking at him between the cracks. He's horrified by his own knowledge, and reflexes. In this movie he has many opportunities to kill, but only once does he actually kill, and it is in self defense, and he is still disgusted with himself for it. It's kind of amazing to compare that with what we expect from a movie about a professional killer. There is another aspect that got my attention as different. There is a woman in charge of the investigation that is searching for Bourne. She has nothing to do with his past, but she is caught up in what's happening now. Early on she's made out to be "out of her league" by playing in a man's world. She doesn't know what she's gotten into, and you can't tell if she really knows how to play the game or not. But in the end, she does her job and you realize that the only reason you doubted her is because the powerful men around her were belittling her and telling her that she didn't belong there. I think it's just as good as the first one, because they played on the strengths, they continued the story and they made it just different enough. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 8/12/04; 11:42:28 PM

Hidalgo (2004)

Watched 8/4/04 I really enjoyed this movie. It's rather intense, it's a great adventure story, and it's beautiful. You really feel like you out there in the desert suffering with him. It's quite the ordeal. The place and the people and the time are foreign to us, but they are real. This is based on a true story and it just makes it that much more intense then it already is. It's a good ride too. The scenery, costumes, and people are all colorful and beautifully filmed. And of course, I've had a soft spot for Viggo since I saw him play Lucifer in The Prophecy. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 8/12/04; 10:57:00 PM

The Bourne Identity (2002)
Watched 7/25/04 A very different sort of chase movie. An assassin with amnesia who falls in love while running away and trying to figure out what's going on and who he is. Very well done. Good acting, story and editing. I really enjoyed it. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 8/9/04; 9:45:47 PM

Spaceballs (1987)
Watched 7/23/04 I love this movie, I haven't seen it in awhile, but I have seen it at least a dozen times. Dark Helmet and the Dinks still make me laugh out loud. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/28/04; 10:55:14 PM

Kill Bill, Vol. 1 (2003)

Watched 7/22/04 I enjoyed it. I'm not the kind of movie fan who knows the ins and outs or every genre, but I know that this film pays homage to some and I've had some of it explained to me, and I respect what he seems to have done with that. Interesting story, well written and acted. Beautiful sets and fight scenes. And luckily the gore was so over the top and fake that I could take it. Except one scene, where The Bride is bashing a guys head with a door, that one got to me a little. I thought Vol. 2 was already rentable, but I was misinformed, so now we have to wait a couple weeks before we can finish it. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/28/04; 10:44:29 PM

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Watched 7/18/04 Very strange concept, so it's good to know what you are getting into. It's a very different sort of musical. It's set in 1899 Paris, but it uses lots of modern love songs. Snippets of them here and there, sometimes overlapping each other, sometimes changed quite a bit. For example, who knew that Roxanne (originally by the Police) could be a Tango? The central theme is a tragic love story. A penniless writer, in love with the cities top paid courtesan. Surrounding this is a cacophony of colorful visuals, camera-cuts, and characters that do a good job of making your head spin ocassionally. Oh, and I cried at the end. I'm such a sap. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/25/04; 5:55:29 PM

What the #$*! Do We Know!? (2004)

Watched 7/17/04 Looked interesting, and it did lead to an evening full of conversation. Including the question: Why did they include Ramtha in this? Well, a friend did a little research and says that the whole thing is actually a RamthaCo production. Sly devil's are trying to look all scientific without actually producing any research. I think that's called psuedoscience. Don't bother with this one. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/25/04; 5:30:35 PM

King Arthur (2004)

Watched 7/14/04 I like what they've done here. It's very different from it's predecessors. Mind you, they claim to be telling the "real story of King Arthur" here, but then they bring events together inside a few weeks that really happened hundreds of years apart, then they combine two or three different men together who lived hundreds of years apart, and to top it off they call the Pictish people "Woads", which I don't get at all. But maybe I can follow there logic on the first two if not the third. Maybe they are simple saying that the legend we know today has it's roots in more than one place, more than one time, and more than one man. I'm okay with that. I'd still like to know why they called the native people Woads. (Woad is actually known as the stuff they used to paint there bodies blue with for battle.) Okay, so all of this technical stuff aside, I think they've made a good movie. Arthur and his Sarmatian knights are fabulous, the scenery is beautiful, and the acting is marvelous. The actors do an amazing job of sucking us in, so that we don't stop and ask why there are Romans marching away within the hour of the Saxons marching in. The stand off on the frozen river is intense. With Guinevere delivering the funniest line of the whole film at Lancelot. Of course, I like that in this one Guinevere has a personality I like, she's a fighter, and she's Arthur's lover before she marries him. I love that there has been a rise in strong female characters in Hollywood. Excellent film, I'll probably see it again. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/25/04; 4:40:24 PM

Best in Show (2000)
Watched 7/10/04 Not as laugh out loud funny as I had hoped. I felt that I knew that these absurd people really did exist, and so it was like watching a long slow train wreck. My mouth was hanging open a lot. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/18/04; 4:06:16 PM

Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)

Watched 7/9/04 Quite beautiful. This film looks like a Vermeer painting, one shot after another. The story is based on a fictional book inspired by the title painting. I think it's quite brilliantly imagined. I'd be curious to read the book, or to see the 3 hour directors cut, if it exists out there, but the story was a bit thin in places. One of the folks I watched this with was irritated by the vague ending. I feel that I was able to fill in the gaps with my own imagination, but it would be nice to know how the author intended it. Colin Firth, and Scarlett Johansson both do a marvelous job as the lead characters. And I really like a good period piece with rich characters. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/18/04; 4:04:34 PM

Excalibur (1981)

Watched 7/7/04 It's been ages since I last saw this. And we were working up to seeing the new movie "King Arthur". More on that later. I found the cast fascinating since I know more of these actors now. Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart. Of course, Nicol Williamson as Merlin is the best part of this movie. He is the one actor who gets a chance to act. The rest of the movie is zooming by so fast no one else seems to be given the time. But he demands it. Or just takes it. He's great. And about the point that he disappears, the whole thing goes downhill and turns into some sort of hallucination. A really bad trip. Guenevere is thin and pointless in this film, I had completely forgotten her. Lancelot and Arthur aren't a lot better, and I despise the standard love triangle. It makes me ill. Since it's part of the nasty hallucination half of the film, I really dislike it. But it's all very pretty, if a bit 70's looking in the costumes and hair. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/18/04; 3:48:57 PM

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Watched 7/4/04 Lots of people are saying that this one is better then the first. I'm not sure of that, but I do know that it was at least as good, possibly better. It's different. It's really the next chapter. Things are tough, he's having a hard time juggling work, school and being a superhero. Not to mention lacking a personal life. Then throw in a super-villain and something has to give. Too bad he can't charge people for saving them. Or get a paycheck from the city, but I guess he would have to give up his secret identity. The acting is good, the sets are great, Mary-Jane finally stands up for herself. Woo-hoo. It's a ride, a real summer blockbuster. And still worth it. I don't want to nit-pick, there are too many people willing to find and list every little flaw in a movie, so I will just say that there are a couple things that bothered me in relation to the scene where the car comes flying through the coffee shop window at them. I don't want to spoil anythng either, so I'll leave it at that, but that was only place I had a problem with the movie. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/15/04; 11:16:48 PM

The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

Watched 7/3/04 This is a really good movie. Wow, every once in awhile I realize that I give movies lots of room for being older, I lower my expectations. But then I see a movie that stands the test of time and I realize that I shouldn't. The sets are beautiful, the story is a grand adventure, and the acting is wonderful. Sean Connery and Michael Caine play a couple of British soldiers in India, in the late 1800s. They are ex-soldiers and con men. They decide to travel into wilder country and try to become kings. The story is by Rudyard Kipling, and adapted by John Huston who is also the director. He did a marvelous job. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/15/04; 10:51:24 PM

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

Watched - 7/2/04 Tagline: The temperature where freedom burns! Oh, and it burned. I was crying before the opening credits even appeared. And I knew I was in trouble because I had no tissues or napkins. This film is intense, but not too much. It doesn't pummel you for two hours straight, and it doesn't pull any punches either. It's very smart and accessible. It focuses on working class people. It looks at real people, soldiers over in Iraq right now, and their families back here in the states. One of the things on my mind as I left the theatre was my brother, Dave, who is over in Iraq right now. I was feeling a little guilty for not writing to him more often. This film does a very respectful job of presenting the reality of the soldiers in Iraq and their families here. It's not the whole film, but it is what the whole thing boils down to. Michael Moore believes that the current Administration in D.C. doesn't care about the men and women they've sent over to Iraq. And he wants every American to know about it. I believe that every American who will be of age to vote in November should see this film, they should judge for themselves, and they should absolutely vote in the November 2004 presidential election. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/15/04; 10:41:06 PM

Pi (1998)

Watched - 6/27/04 Intense, bizarre, and a bit on the fantasy side. We view Max's life in black and white. He's a paranoid mathematician who studies the stock market in between severe headaches. The whole thing is very fast paced, so don't expect to relax during this one. We randomly meet a few harmless people who live in his building, we watch him halucinate a few times, and we see that there really are people after him. Reminding us of the saying: just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't out to get you. It's a fantasy for a couple reasons. The most obvious is that when his computer melts down he finds actual bugs crawling around inside a tightly sealed case and there is some sort of goo all over it. Somebody muttered something about chaos theory too, but I can't help with that one. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/5/04; 10:09:02 PM

Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

Watched - 6/26/04 I can't believe it's taken me this long to get around to seeing this movie. Ah well, there are always so many good movies waiting to be watched. Daniel Day-Lewis is so young here that I wouldn't have recognized him. He plays a young doctor whose hobby is seducing women. This made for great conversation at home afterwards about how there can be guys like this? How do they do it? Why do women fall for it? Personally, I believe that men like this use arrogance to appear self assured and capable. They think they know what they want, sex, and they ask for it, and they get it. Nothing less and nothing more. Many women seem to be repulsed by men who seem insecure or needy, and since they haven't taken the time to think about what it really is that they want, they just end up with some jerk who doesn't care about them. When they try to have a relationship with him they get rejected. It's a fairly ugly loop. I think it's best to get to know yourself, and figure out what you want before you try to have a relationship with someone else. But I do know that we have to try and fail some in order to figure it out. Anyway, Lena Olin plays the woman who loves him the way he is. She is gorgeous and sexy and I think Michael and I were both drooling over her. And we agree that she is even more beautiful now. Her character here has no more interest in a committed relationship then he does. She is amused when he suddenly has a live in girlfriend that he is very smitten with. But he doesn't want to lose her or his womanizing lifestyle. Enter the drama and craziness. The whole thing is a complicated story of how they all deal with the situation. It's very well done. And in the background there is political upheaval, riots and protests. I like stories about individuals who are very real, dealing with day to day life and the world at large at the same time. (This reminds me a lot of Doctor Zhivago (1965) and The Dreamers (2003), similar and also very good.) Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/2/04; 9:30:47 PM

Wild Wild West (1999)
Watched - 6/23/04 I have, of course, seen this before. It was funny then and it was funny again. It's so over the top, so beautiful, and so well acted that I can't help but enjoy it. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/2/04; 8:50:24 PM

Camelot (1967)

Watched - 6/16/04 What can I say? It's a musical about King Arthur (sort of) made in the 60s. The color is funny, the songs are silly, and I hated Guenevere. Richard Harris did a good job for his part and it makes me want to see more of his movies, and wish that he hadn't died. Oh, and how is it that this version of Arthur seems to have invented the modern court system while being such a complete wimp himself? I am always drawn to works about Arthur, and I am always disappointed by them in some way or another. I seem to have a love/hate relationship with the myth. I'm very much looking forward to the new movie, "King Arthur", coming out this month. Maybe I should watch Excalibur again first. That would be amusing. At least that one has a really good Merlin. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 7/2/04; 8:48:35 PM

Seconds (1966)
Watched 6/13/04 This one is badly dated, clunkly, and awkward. I'd never seen a Rock Hudson film, and this was the most interesting thing I found in his list right off. It's science fiction, and it's got an interesting premise, but it's poorly developed. Don't bother. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 6/21/04; 8:55:41 PM

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Watched - 6/12/04 Better then the first two by far. It was beautiful in many ways. The landscape was more luscious and vibrant. Everything was changed from the others it seemed. From the Dursley's house to Hogwart's. Luckily it was all much much better. If it hadn't been, then I expect it would have flopped and pissed off all of the fans. The kids are all growing up, every one of them was taller and leaner. They are no longer children, that's for sure. Maybe it's just been a lot longer now since I read the relevant book, but this movie seemed to movie along a lot more smoothly then it's predecessors as well. I know that they had to cut a lot, that always happens when a novel gets made into a movie. But it seems to me that they did a good job of at least presenting the main plot line well. I really enjoyed it. Oh, and thanks to a friend who went to see it on opening night (12:01 am), we went to the Boeing Imax theater at Seattle Center to see this, and it was marvelous. (P.S. The Onion has done a good spoof piece this last week.) Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 6/19/04; 1:55:55 PM

Shrek (2001)

Watched 6/1/04 We seem to have watched a string of movies that all have a sequel coming out this summer. It makes sense, since we really enjoyed these films and want to see the sequels. It's just funny that we watched three of them, in three days. Anyway, this movie still makes me laugh out loud several times. Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers make a great team, and I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 6/13/04; 1:13:46 PM

Spider-man (2002)

Watched 5/31/04 This was a lot of fun to watch again too. And this time I got to watch some "special features" which is always fun with a movie you already know you like. Who knew that Willem Defoe was in such amazing, athletic, shape? He did most of his own stunts apparently. Fabulous. As for the movie itself. Good acting. A stable amount of tension in the plot. Beautifully filmed. About the only thing I'm not all for is the always suffering hero. I don't get into that so much. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 6/11/04; 10:06:58 PM

Harry Potter and the Sorcerors Stone (2001)
Watched 5/30/04 I enjoyed watching this again. This time, it's been long enough since I read the book that I didn't really notice all the bits that were missing. I saw a well acted, high budget, fantasy movie. A really rare thing. I hope this means that there will be more of them. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 6/11/04; 10:00:15 PM

Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Watched - 5/16/04 This is a strange movie, but well done, not just different. Some people like anything that isn't a Hollywood type of film, anything different is good for them. This is not true for me. I wanted to hate it at first, but couldn't. They actually get you to care about some of these odd characters. It's kind of a character study about a bunch of highly intelligent people who are screwed up emotionally, just like anyone else. Watching them interact, getting a sense of their motivations, and bottled up desires, you get sucked in. It was definitely worth seeing, and I might even need to see it again to really figure it out. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 5/31/04; 7:32:03 PM

Master and Commander (2003)
Watched 5/23/04 This film is so rich in detail that it was even more beautiful the second time. The acting is great, I got lost in the characters, completely sucked in. I never thought about the actors much. The story is fast paced and complicated. Not just a ride, but one that makes you think too. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 5/29/04; 11:15:21 PM

Troy (2004)

Watched 5/22/04 How do you do Greek myth without the gods? It lacks something, it's unbalanced. But if you know ahead of time that this movie is trying to take the story of the Greek/Trojan war and turn it into a story that could have really happened, with real people, then you will be okay. Two things really bothered me anyway. 1) The temple to Apollo is on the beach, and the temple to Posiedon is way up in the city. Huh? 2) I believe that in the original telling this was at least a 10 year war. In the movie it seems to last only two or three weeks. Despite all this, I managed to enjoy it for itself anyway. The best thing to do is to go to this movie thinking, "It'll be a really pretty film", and then you will be okay. Lowering your expectations is really important. Pitt worked out for many months to get in shape for this and they take every opportunity to show you just how good he did. The very first time we see him he's draped naked over two women. Ass shot, of course, and it's quite lovely. His is the main character of the movie, Achilles. The choreography on his fight scenes is amazing, and he executes them beautifully. But he is hardly the best actor present, lots of well acted scenes here. This summary at Pantheon.org about the life of Achilles shows that they did actually get several of the major plot points for the movie from the original myths. I've often wondered why it's remembered as the Trojan Horse, when it was the Greeks who made it. And why the Trojan Warrior is a fit mascot for high schools and the like, even though they lost the war that they are remembered for. Oh, and that reminds me, one of the better bits of detail in the movie is that the Horse is made from the wood of some boats that were destroyed. So it isn't shiny and perfect, it's rough and burned in places, and kind of awkward looking. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 5/27/04; 8:50:26 PM

Secretary (2002)

Watched 5/18/04 This is the second time I've seen this movie. It's a sweet coming of age film, with a BDSM theme. It's a romantic comedy, with a new twist. According to the director it's the first film to present a kinky relationship as a normal healthy option. It might be hard to see it as healthy, since the first thing we see is Lee being discharged from a mental hospital. But I think that some people go a little nuts because the life that everyone expects them to live just doesn't work for them. The movie acknowledges that being kinky isn't the accepted norm, it let's us know that even though Edward has done this before, he is conflicted and embarassed about it. But Lee is blossoming, she's never been happier. After being introduced to her alcoholic father, her fragile fussing mother, her self centered sister, and her rather boring would-be boyfriend, it's no surprise that something different makes her happy. James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal work really well together. They are both very expressive, and rather funny. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 5/26/04; 10:19:19 PM

Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Watched - 5/14/04 One of those wonderful classics that I hadn't seen yet. It deserves it's reputation. It has beautiful sets, costumes and people, it's well acted, and the story is heart rending. The thing that stayed with me the most was something that Zhivago says. I think he was talking to his brother who was trying to understand his opinions of the revolution, and politics and all. Zivago says to him, something like 'That's fine for you, but somebody has to keep living, while things are being destroyed. I have to keep living.' Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 5/23/04; 6:42:07 PM

Ever After (1998)
Watched - 5/11/04 This is maybe the fifth time I've seen this movie. I love it. I think they do a good job of turning the fairy tale into a real life story. It's charming, beautiful and rather well acted. Drew Barrymore has been a favorite actor of mine since I saw Firestarter as a kid. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 5/23/04; 5:09:24 PM

The Castle (1997)

Watched - 5/11/04 This is a weird little movie. But it has it's charm. The characters are simple and unasuming. Though most of them seem two dimensional. The story is about a family fighting their neighbor, the airport, for their home. The airport has received government approval to expand, and along with it the right to throw these people out of their homes.The money offered to them should be an insult because it isn't enough to buy them new homes elsewhere. But they don't care about the money at all, they've been in this house for 14 years, and they just don't want to leave. I don't highly recommend it, but it's not terribly either. It successfully does what it sets out to do. As an amusing side note: The new son-in-law of the family looked familiar and turned out to be Eric Bana (Hulk, Troy). He's come a long way in a short time. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 5/23/04; 4:50:34 PM

Peter Pan (2003)

Watched - 5/9/04 Oh what a beautiful movie. Why aren't all kids movies like this? It's dark and mysterious, fun and exciting. And you can really tell that it wasn't made in Hollywood. Movies for kids should talk to them, and about them, as people. Not as idiots with no emotions or thoughts. Maybe they are still learning, but that is exactly why to treat them with respect, and as people. I hate all things that talk down to children, and that talk about them as if they were hollow and stupid. That said this is a marvelous movie. First, there is a tention between Peter and Wendy, that is the essence of children on the verge of discovering a romantic or sexual interest in others, but all they have now is this undefined interest. But it is there, and this movie let's it be what it is. It doesn't shy away in fear of it, and it doesn't make too much of it. It just is, and that's how it should be. Neverland is fascinating.The pirates are fierce and yet child-like. The lost boys just are what they are, they play and fight and go on. Princess Tigerlily is quite able to hold her own, she seems to more able then the boys really. The mermaids were mesmerizing in a dark and mysterious way. And Neverland itself seemed to be entirely dependent on Peter. Everything in it seems to be defined by his idea of how it should be, including the pirates, indians and fairies. And the weather itself was greatly effected by his mood, and his being there or not. It seems he is the god of this place. Oh, and I can't forget Tinkerbell. She's quite a lot of fun. She is outrageously jealous of Wendy, and all her nasty actions come off quite humorous because she's only 3 or 4 inches tall and because Peter is just oblivious. It is fairly serious when she tries to get Wendy killed, but this is a kids story, a fairy tale, and so of course it doesn't work. The whole thing is just marvelous. (You can read The Adventures of Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie online.) Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 5/23/04; 4:39:59 PM

Romeo Is Bleeding (1993)

Watched - 5/2/04 I know that I saw this years ago, and I think it's important to note that one of the only things I could remember from that previous viewing was when he accidentally shoots his girlfriend. I found that scene startling enough to remember, but hardly anything else. I think that both Lena Olin and Gary Oldman are amazing actors and that neither of them is fully utilized in this film. I also think they are under valued in general. But, I think I will avoid spending any time on a soap box tonight. The story of a crooked cop and the mobsters pulling his strings isn't very original. Throwing a woman into the mix who is trying to get the better of both by playing them against each other and killing several people without the slightest flinch makes it more interesting. The best scene is Mona describing her "first time" and you slowly realize that she isn't talking about sex, she's talking about her first time killing a man. It's priceless and beautifully delivered. Overall, it's fairly well done, but somehow not memorable in the long term. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 5/15/04; 9:17:15 PM

Queen of the Damned (2002)

Watched 5/1/04 I've been avoiding it because it's gotten such terribly reviews from everywhere. From Roger Ebert, down to every person I know who's seen it. Plus, I heard Anne Rice say that her fans knew more about the movie while it was being made, than she did. The movie makers weren't speaking to her at all. Well, I love the books and I hate to see them mutilated on screen, but I knew that I would have to see it eventually so we just did it. It's pretty. The story is of course choppy, and they changed and cut enough from the books to make any fan groan and knash their teeth. If I didn't know the books I would say that the story was too thin. It's only an hour and a half long for crying out loud. They could have made a beautiful two to three hour movie if they had wanted too. I tried to appreciate it on it's own, but all there was was pretty visuals and great music. Some of the actors were good, but Stuart Townsend hardly had a chance to shine as a follow up act to Tom Cruise in "Interview with the Vampire". And I kept getting upset about the things they changed: even after she wakes up she is supposed be translucent white, Marius didn't make Lestat a vampire, and on and on and on... But I had to see it for myself. And now I know, it's pretty and that's about it. Movie Reviews 2004 item Posted: 5/2/04; 8:23:07 PM

Hollywood Homicide (2003)

Watched 5/1/04 Funny movie. I forgot that Harrison Ford is a good comic actor. It's just that I don't think about it much, because he isn't an obvious comic, he's more of a subtle straight man to comic circumstances. But now that I'm reminded of it, I recall that the Indiana Jones movies are quite funny in a lot of places. Anyway, I hadn't even heard of this movie until recently. It didn't get much attention I guess. But I rather enjoyed it. It pokes fun at Hollywood, and at cops in ways that are new to me. Every cop in the movie has a second job. Joe (Ford) is a real estate agent, his partner is a yoga instructor and a would-be actor, and there are numerous off duty cops working as security guards. Their cell phones ring constantly. In the middle of chase scenes he's working on the sale of a house. While showing the house, he's getting calls about the murder case he's working on. His partner gets cal