Movie Reviews 2005

Nero Wolfe (season 2, disc 2)

Watched 1/20/06 - "Murder is Corny", 1/27/06 - "Motherhunt" and "Murder a la Carte" The time period of each episode didn't shift on us so much this time. Nothing obvious anyway. We do go from the murder of a farm hand in the first one, to a high society murder in the 3rd one, and in the middle is an episode that doesn't center on a murder at all. These are rare. Mind you, at least two people were murdered in this episode, I think it's compulsory, but it was a side effect of the main story, which was to find the mother of an infant left on a rich ladies door step. Overall the show is still quite entertaining. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 2/16/06; 9:35:11 PM

X2 (2003) (X-men United)
Watched 12/25/05 This is an excellent film. The story is intense, complicated, and solid. There are lots of great actors. It's a beautifully made movie. I decided it was worth owning, since I'm sure we'll be happy to watch it several more times over the years. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 11:44:29 PM

Serenity (2005)
Watched 12/20/05 Just as good the second time. Nothing new to report. I'm just sad that this will be the last of it. No more movies or TV show. It's really too bad, since this is the best work Joss Whedon has done, and I also liked Buffy and Angel. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 10:55:44 PM

The Island (2005)

Watched 12/17/05 Better than I expected it to be. The previews didn't tell me the whole story, so it did have some surprises waiting, and as I thought back over the details I thought they'd done a pretty good job with it. The action scenes are a bit over the top and gratuitous, but they don't neglect the plot. Definitely worth seeing at least once. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 10:43:03 PM

Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Watched 12/14/05 (in theater) I enjoyed the books when I was a kid, but don't remember a lot of details. I enjoyed the film as I was watching it. It's pretty, and Tilda Swinton as the witch was particularly amazing. Unfortunately, as I mulled it over afterwards, I decided that I was less than impressed with it and that I probably won't want to see it again. It was just one thing after another without much of a story arc. Only one scene contained any dramatic tension. Nothing gets explained, everything exists just because it does. I found it very odd that this movie centers around a large battle , but there is never a drop of blood seen. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 10:38:15 PM

Nero Wolfe, Season 2 (1st Disc)

Started 11/28/05 & 12/9/05 In the first season they were careful not to give you a specific year for the setting and it was hard to pin down, but it seemed like the 50s. The first episode here is very obviously in the 60s but then in the next one they are back in the 50s again. So that was odd. We did notice that these had different opening credits and music, probably to signal the different time periods. I guess we will see when we get on to the next one. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 10:27:39 PM

The Winter Guest (1997)

Watched 12/3/05 This is a day in the life of an interesting set of characters. Emma Thompson stars with her real life mother here. In the film Thompson's character is a widow who can't seem to move on with her life. Her mother comes to visit without warning. Her teenage son skips school to spend the day with a girl he's just met. Then there is a random pair of boys playing hooky from school as well. It's set in a seaside town in Scotland in deep winter. Despite the lack of a central driving plot, I found it to be a fascinating film. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 10:10:56 PM

Castle in the Sky (1986)

Watched 12/2/05 Kids film by Miyazaki, who also made "My Neighbor Totoro" (1988), "Kiki's Delivery Service" (1989), "Princess Mononoke" (1997), and "Spirited Away" (2001). I can't say that this one is as good as the later ones. I think it's probably the least of them, but he does get progressively better, and it isn't bad. As far as kids films go, these are all pretty great. I think this one and Kiki are more aimed at kids and harder to watch as an adult. Their just not as appealling. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 10:01:24 PM

Saving Face (2004)

Watched 11/30/05 This was a very sweet film from the lives of people so different from me culturally that I found it fascinating. The two main characters are a mother (Ma) and grown daughter (Wil) who are Chinese-Americans living in New York City. The husband/father died a long time ago, and Ma lives with her parents. Wil is a doctor and lives on her own. Until one day she comes home to find Ma on her front doorstep, and moving in. We soon learn that Ma is pregnant and refuses to say who the father is, and her father threw her out until she finds a husband to go with the baby. There is more, but essentially this is an incredibly sweet mother/daughter film. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 9:52:49 PM

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

Watched 11/26/05 Went to the theatre for this one. Somehow it wasn't as good. It seemed more choppy. The previous films have been more well rounded. The story threads included usually have more of an arch through the film. This one wasn't so balanced. One example is the inclusion of Rita Skeeter, who shows up a couple times early on to irritate Harry and Hermione, but oddly the story she does about Hermione and Viktor comes before they've told us that she is seeing him, and then after that news item there is never another mention of Rita, it just drops off. Other than this, I did enjoy it. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 9:32:56 PM

Cradle Will Rock (1999)

Watched 11/20/05 This is based on real people and events, but I couldn't tell you how much of it is fact or not. It follows several different threads. One, which I knew a little about before is Diego Rivera painting a mural in the Rockefellar Center, with much controversy. Another is a theater production lead by Orson Welles, trying to put on a controversial musical. There are lots of little connecting stories in between. This is film is full of faces you will recognize, and it's very well done. I rather enjoyed it. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 9:06:17 PM

The Saint (1997)
Watched 11/18/05 I don't think I've seen this since it was new. I really enjoyed seeing Val Kilmer play so many different parts in one movie. It's all the same guy, it's just set up in such a way that he is hiding in costume a lot. He does such a marvelous job, it's really fun. The overall concept of the movie is a bit thin, but I didn't mind. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 8:51:51 PM

Wal-Mart Movie (2005)
Watched 11/13/05 This is pretty depressing really, but full of facts that I think everyone needs to know. It added a whole laundry list of reasons to why I never have and never will spend a dime in a Wal-mart. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 8:16:33 PM

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Watched 11/12/05 I'd heard good things about this one, but had a hard time wanting to watch a movie about boxing. Boxing is not the point of this movie. It starts out as this amazing personal success story about someone chasing their dream and succeeding, and then it has a big twist in the middle, and it's about all of her relationships with friends and family and how they deal with the shift in events. Very well done. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 8:11:52 PM

Coupling, Season 3 (2002) (first 4 episodes)
Started 11/9-10/05 Still over the top, for the sake of comedy, still very funny. Definitely a sitcom, in that situational comedy is the point of the whole thing. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 8:05:42 PM

Batman Begins (2005)
Watched 11/7/05 This was my third time watching this, and I still think it's an excellent film. This time Michael pointed out that they have introduced an excuse for how all sorts of wacky villains might show up in the future: the drug that a chunk of the city was gassed with. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 8:01:32 PM

The Muppet Show, Season 1 (1976)
Watched 11/5-6/05 Rented the first couple discs and watched most of them. Recognized a couple of the guest stars, but certainly not all of them. We were amused to see that the famous "MaNaMaNa" sketch was in the very first episode. That was fun. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 7:57:55 PM

Nero Wolfe (2001)
Watched 11/4-8/2005 This is an interesting TV show from A&E that we rented. It's more like a theater cast (than TV)because aside from maybe six reoccurring characters, the rest of the actors return every week playing different characters. I like that. It's a very stylized murder mystery/detective show, and it's very well done. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 7:55:27 PM

Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Watched 11/3/05 Bought a copy of this, rewatched the film, and then had fun watching some of the extras. It seems to me that the people who make these big budget movies have a lot of fun at what they do. All of them, from the actors to every last person adding something to the mix. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 1/2/06; 7:51:25 PM

Murder by Death (1976)

Watched 10/30/05 This is a spoof of, as well as an indictment of, several popular murder mystery series. Mainly those by Agatha Christie, and Dashiell Hammett. Very silly and funny. Premise: 5 world famous detectives get invited for the weekend and a murder, to prove who is the best, and the host mainly wants to prove he is better than them all. Also contains an excellent cast. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 11/27/05; 3:48:03 PM

Criminal (2004)

Watched 10/29/05 Excellent movie. A seasoned con artist, Richard, picks up a potential new partner, Rodrigo, and spends the day showing him a few general scams, trying to convince him to join him. In the middle of this a large scam, potentially Richards biggest ever, presents itself. The whole thing gets rather complicated as he calls in favors to try and make this work. It's got a fast pace and a satisfying twist at the end. One that I grasped only a moment before it was revealed. It was quite fun all around. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 11/27/05; 3:05:51 PM

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)

Watched 10/28/05 This was like a long episode from the middle of the series, which did in fact end, so their options were middle or prequil. I can't say that it was any more exciting than an episode, unfortunately. The misfit group of bounty hunters gets a lead on a job and they pursue it to the natural end. I've heard comparisons of this show to Firefly, and I think that Bebop lacks the range of characters, and they are not all so likable. For instance I couldn't hardly stand Fay. She had no redeeming qualities I could see. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 11/27/05; 2:52:44 PM

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
Watched 10/26/05 Just as funny the second time around. This is the same light weight level of humor you always get from Douglas Adams. I aprreciate the fact that it's different enough to have a few fresh jokes in it, as well as the old ones that are almost tired due to overuse. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 11/27/05; 11:21:14 AM

Bad Santa (2003)
Watched 10/22/05 All I can say is that this movie is apalling and funny. The humor is all centered around the must disgusting department store Santa you can imagine. This isn't for everyone, but I thought it was so over the top that it was amusing. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 11/27/05; 11:18:55 AM

Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

Watched 10/19/05 Here's another epic story that was quite well done. I'm not going to claim to know anything about the historical accuracy. It's my understanding that they plucked a few facts, names and events, from history and they wrote a fictional story around that. And I think they've done a good job of it. I really liked the central character. There was one flaw in the middle of the story as I saw it. A king would not, I don't think, allow his entire kingdom fall to pieces because of one man moral integrity. A king would not ask his permission, he would simply have told him what his part in events was going to be. Other than this small irritation in the story, I rather enjoyed it. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 11/13/05; 11:16:12 PM

MirrorMask (2005)
Watched 10/9/05 This is the best fantasy movie I've seen in a long time. There just aren't enough of them made in the first place and they get tiny budgets, as this one did. In this case the movie makers did amazing work with the budget they had. It's beautiful and quite fantastical. I enjoyed the story, the visuals, the acting, everything. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 11/13/05; 11:05:39 PM

Cold Mountain (2003)

Watched 10/8/05 This is a beautiful and well made movie. I can see why I've heard such high praise for it from others. The story is set during the American Civil War, but tells very personal stories of a dozen people. All centered around one man's journey home. Also, that central journey is very much patterned on the Odyssey, by Homer. The acting, costumes and scenery are also magnificent. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 11/13/05; 11:01:20 PM

Cowboy Bebop (1998)

Started 7/8/05 - Finished 10/7/05 This was a fun show. Anime, far future space opera, and the central characters are bounty hunters. There were several episodes each down in a particular film style, one was a western, and another was blacksploitation. Very amusing. There were lots of comic bits, wrapped around a loose story arch that was rather serious. Thru most of the serious the keep from taking themselves too seriously, and then right at the end they fall into it. Not sure I cared for the ending. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 11/10/05; 10:10:19 PM

Lost In Space (1998)
Finished 10/5/05 Best to keep expectations at rock bottom when watching this film. It sucks. The acting is only worthwhile with Gary Oldman, he's just great no matter what he does. Everybody else seemed quite flat. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 11/10/05; 10:06:12 PM

The Man in the White Suit (1951)
Watched 10/2/05 Odd old Alec Guinness film. He plays a scientist bent on creating the perfect cloth, it repels dirt and doesn't wrinkle, and never wears out. And once he's done it, everyone is out to get stop him from producing it because it will ruin the industry. A little silly. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 11/10/05; 9:45:02 PM

Coupling - British TV show, first 2 seasons (2000-2001)

Finished Watching - 9/30/05 British TV shows have very short seasons, so this amounts to 9 or 12 short episodes. It's a very funny show about neurotic people and dating. And it's a sitcom for sure, not much depth. But they on occassion plays things to a fever pitch, to hilarious results. Most memorable is Steve's rant in defense of porn watching. Very funny stuff. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 11/10/05; 9:42:33 PM

Serenity (2005)

Watched: 12:03 am, 9/30/05 Going to a midnight movie in the middle of the week is fun, but it surely screws with your sleep schedule for awhile after. Fantastic movie, which everyone has already heard. In some ways they've made a two hour episode, but it actually seems more like they've condensed a whole season into a movie. If it was still on TV this would have been either the rest of the first season, or maybe the whole second season. I can see how Whedon easily could have drawn this out into many episodes. It's got a bigger arc, and lots of smaller pieces as well. And as is usual for him, he pulls no punches. People die. Not extras, or thow away people, but people in the core group die by the end. And while we can't exactly say that we'd be happier if this one or that one died, I do think that it was a precision choice. Still sad, but I think he's a better storyteller for being able to do it. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 10/20/05; 10:32:41 PM

The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005)

Watched 9/28/05 Now for an actual coming of age movie: This has got to be one of the best. I also love movies that depict real people; I think there can be better storytelling in it. This one is about Jack, a man with a heart condition, and his daughter Rose, who's maybe fifteen. They live alone on an old commune, and they love each other fiercely. People outside looking in don't quite understand them. Jack's afraid he might die soon, and he's worried about leaving Rose alone, so he invites his new girlfriend and her two sons to move in with them. The rest needs to be seen. The point is that the relationships, the actions and reactions of everyone involved seem very real. Nothing here is trite or contrived. My only complaint might be that the ending seems a bit rushed. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 10/20/05; 10:23:32 PM

Legally Blonde 2 (2003)
Watched 9/25/05 This is up there stupidest movie ever. But it's not useless, I think it's just in the range of silly comedies, that uses stupid to make you laugh. Without expecting to, I was laughing out loud, quite a bit. Not a waste of time. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 10/20/05; 10:01:29 PM

Sideways (2004)

Watched 9/24/05 I think this is a coming of age story about a middle-aged man. This isn't a story about a child becoming an adult so much as a man who is wound up so tight he can't do anything good for himself. At the end of the movie we get to see him relax and let things go a little. It's more like he learns to stand on his own, and not take things too seriously. It's subtle in some ways, they don't beat you over the head with it. I think they did a good job. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 10/20/05; 9:59:31 PM

Brothers Grimm (2005)

Watched 9/23/05 This hasn't gotten very good reviews, but I though it was marvelous. I liked the fairy tale aspects of the story. The haunted forest, evil queen, her hunter, it was all fantastic. The characters were an amusing bunch. I could tell it was a Terry Gilliam film. There were some familiar faces and elements. I thought Heath Ledger did a better job than Matt Damon here. These fictional Grimms collecting stories were an entertaining touch. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 10/20/05; 9:55:44 PM

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
Watched 9/21/05 Lot's of action movies lately. This one is set in a ghetto in the 1940's. There's a bit a cartoon feel sometimes, special effects have started to blur the line there, and it's amusing when it's used to make things a bit silly. It was quite entertaining and fun. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 10/20/05; 9:50:08 PM

Avalon (2001)

Watched 9/18/05 This is a strange film that lacks resolution. If you hate that, you'll want to avoid this one. Set in a future where online multi-player gaming has become a world of its own. Our main character appears to make a living playing a war game. But the thing they are getting at throughout is, what is reality, and is the world she thinks is real, actually the real world, or is it just another level of imaginary world? The irritating thing is that they never answer. They just put it out there to be pondered. Not my preference. But it was at least pretty. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 10/20/05; 9:47:33 PM

Transporter (2002)
Watched 9/16/05 It's a pretty good action movie. It's got car chases, and things blowing up, and for a bit of originality, we have this over the top grease fight. Very entertaining. The interesting part is that it's a very international film. It was fun. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 10/20/05; 9:42:44 PM

Zatoitchi (2003)

Watched 9/14/05 The special effects were a bit odd. Every time someone got cut with a sword, the wound and any blood splattering or flying would be CGI. And it wasn't realistic, so it gave it a bit of a cartoon feel. Despite this I still enjoyed the blind swordsman movie. Oh, back on the cartoon bit. He opens his eyes once at the end of the movie and the eyes are cartoons too. No idea why they did that. So, it was slightly distracting. Also, subtitles, so lots of reading, which tends to mean I miss a lot of the acting. I still found it to be an entertaining film. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 10/13/05; 11:10:50 PM

Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Watched 9/11/05 This was silly, but at least pretty. The story made no sense what so ever. If you see this, make sure your expectations are rock bottom. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 10/6/05; 11:57:49 PM

House of Flying Daggers (2004)

Watched 9/10/05 Beautiful, that's for certain. This one is a mythic Chinese fantasy film. The visual artistry is amazing. The story is good, but not fantastic. I think there are still images in there that would be worth framing. But the story is already slipping away from me. The final fight scene in the snow will stick with a long while though. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 10/6/05; 11:30:51 PM

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

Watched 9/9/05 This is a beautiful fantasy/period piece. It's not historical, but does use the places, fashions, and politics of a particular period. Namely 18th century France. The story is interesting and complicated enough that I will want to see this one again. Partly because while reading subtitles I was missing other things. There are lots of pretty people, and some lovely fight scenes, but it takes longer to get them all straight in the plot when you are reading the dialog. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 10/6/05; 11:20:02 PM

A Lion In Winter (1968)

Watched 9/7/05 This turned out to be a family drama about a bunch of people with too much power. a couple Kings, a Queen, several Princes, and a Princess, (England and France) spending Christmas together, and trying to out maneuver each other in massive power plays the whole while. Very strange, and also entertaining. Peter O'Toole was amazing. This was definitely worth seeing once. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 10/6/05; 11:12:03 PM

The One (2001)
Watched 9/5/05 Mostly crap. Suspension of disbelief was hard to find, and I mostly had to just enjoy the pretty fight scenes and ignore the alleged story all together. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 9/20/05; 3:09:23 PM

Broken Flowers (2005)

Watched 8/31/05 Apparently we like unconventional movies. This one is slow, in a way that seems to be commentary on the central characters life. Sometimes I felt like I was stuck there watching a train wreck. And the end irritated me by giving no answers at all. I came up with two end scenarios that I think are logical, but will never have any way of knowing for sure. I think I prefer a movie that gives you lots of info, keeps you engaged and guessing, and in the end let's you know whether you guessed it right or not. I really don't mind movie that make you think, I believe that's great. I just found this irritating. A bit more tolerable in memory, because I'm no longer watching a train wreck, but instead simply remembering the highlights. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 9/20/05; 2:53:57 PM

Immortal (Ad Vitam) (2004)
Watched 8/28/05 Very odd in a different way. The story is just mysterious in many ways, and I think they mean you to just take in as much of it as you can, and not worry about the things that make no sense. It's also mostly animated, but with some of the characters played by live actors. It's also very pretty. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 9/20/05; 2:49:12 PM

Code 46 (2003)

Watched - 8/21/2005 This was an odd one. Looked like a slightly low budget sci-fi film. And there were some things that I don't believe were explained well enough in the movie itself. But afterwards we watched some "making of" extra with interviews that explained it all a bit better. Mainly this is commentary about future in which scientific progress gets out of hand, and there are laws enacted as a result, and this cascades down to social taboos that seemed really odd to me, until I got a better explanation. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 9/20/05; 2:46:42 PM

Garden State (2004)
Watched 8/24/05 This movie seemed very slow, and even pointless in the beginning, but by the end the pacing made perfect sense. The story unfolded just right. And how can you go wrong with Natalie Portman in the cast. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 9/20/05; 2:41:09 PM

Tigers of the Snow (1997)
Watched - 8/21/2005 It's a documentary from National Geographic about tigers. What's not to like. Of course, the sad bits, and bad news made me weepy, but that means they did a good job. Since I believe one of the purposes of such things is to make people care about what's going on in the world. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 9/5/05; 8:59:03 PM

Constantine (2005)

Watched - 8/17/2005 First and foremost, I really enjoyed this movie. The visuals were stunning, the story was interesting and the acting was good. Secondly, they were not true to the character or the world they supposedly based this on, from Hellblazer. Oh well. I still enjoyed it, and I say if it gets a few people to pick up the graphic novels, that wouldn't hurt. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 9/5/05; 8:54:29 PM

Basquiat (1996)

Watched - 8/14/05 Interesting film. It doesn't really make any particular point, but it gives you a lot of information about a time and a place and a system surrounding this one artist. Early 80s, New York art scene. He goes from living in a box to be a very popular and rich young artist inside of just a couple of years. Kind of makes your head spin to think about it. And why? Because the right people decided he was the next big thing? Interesting. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 9/5/05; 8:42:19 PM

The 10th Kingdom (2000)

Started 7/22/05 - Finished 8/12/05 This is a fun fantasy mini-series, where they take a couple people from modern New York, and toss them into fairy tale land. They find themselves on a quest, of course. But they are a bit conflicted about which quest they are on. Are they trying to save the Nine Kingdoms from the Evil Queen, or are they simply trying to get home? On there way they get taken through many familiar fairy tale scenarios. And one of there companions might be working for the Queen. It's fun, but not just for children, luckily. I enjoyed it. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 8/22/05; 7:59:47 PM

Meet the Fockers (2004)

Read 8/10/05 This was a pretty funny movie. I think I laughed out loud a few times. I don't go in for the embarrasment humor so much. I grimace more than laugh. But some of the physical comedy was great, like seeing Dustin Hoffman's face and Barbra Streisand's cleavage covered in whipped cream. Then there is all of the situational comedy of the main character trying to deal with introducing his straight-laced, up-tight in-laws, to his more free-loving, hippy parents. I think it was even better than the first one. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 8/22/05; 7:26:31 PM

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

Watched 8/7/05 I found it interesting but tedious. I think it was too long. The pacing was too slow. I find that I like it better as I mull it over in my mind where I can condense it down to a more managable rate. The director was trying to be too artistic, plus we saw the 140 minute version which is 20 minutes longer than the theatrical version. I don't think this really helped, I think maybe 20 minutes less would have been better. On the other hand I think that David Bowie did a marvelous job of protraying the androgenous alien trying to manage here on Earth. There were a couple other performances that were worth while (Buck Henry and Rip Torn), but the woman who played his girlfriend was just terrible. I would find it entertaining if someone did a 30 minute version for the Internet. I would suggest a remake, but it would be terribly hard for anyone to do a better job than Bowie, as Newton. Like Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka, you would have to find someone very good to do it in a completely different way. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 8/9/05; 12:03:53 AM

I, Robot (2004)

Watched 8/6/05 This was better than I had expected it to be. Mostly because my expectations had been greatly lowered by hearing so many bad reviews when it was in the theaters. Plus, I'm not personally familiar with the books this movie was "suggested by", but I'm told that it's actually true to the spirit of what Asimov wrote in that collection of short stories. I thought that the story held together well, they managed a fast pace with dramatic tension, and they avoided the big Hollywood cliche of throwing in a little romance (for the women). So much better without that. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 8/8/05; 11:53:53 PM

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Watched 8/3/05 Utter crap. I felt like I was watching a train wreck. I just couldn't look away. It was random, in a disjointed way that just grated on me. I get the impression they were trying to make the conversations seem more normal by making them ragged and uncomfortable. I think this just makes it difficult to watch. About the only thing I found amusing was the CGI fish that were over the top, and not meant to be realistic at all. There were too many holes in it, questions unanswered and strange things that didn't make any sense, and were never explained. I actually liked Wes Anderson's previous film, the Royal Tenebaums, and I think I set my expectations by that, and was still disappointed. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 8/8/05; 11:41:57 PM

The Merchant of Venice (2004)

Watched 7/31/05 This is a beautiful film, I just loved it. The story, the actors, the sets and costumes, it's all quite marvelous. Jeremy Irons, despite not having a lot of screen time, was the best thing in the film. While Al Pacino plays the central character, Irons is the title character, and he is just brilliant. I think he conveys more with his posture and a look then anyone else does with long speeches. However, I must say that Pachino has one very moving speech in the middle of the film. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 8/8/05; 12:06:25 AM

Return of the Pink Panther (1975)

Watched 7/27/05 I find these movies a bit thin story-wise, which misses the point entirely, I know. Since the whole point is to let Peter Sellers be a complete nut. Which he does very well. Evidenced by Michael laughing himself silly several times during the film. I think I laugh more because Michael enjoys it so much. I'm not so big on slap-stick myself. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 8/7/05; 4:37:24 PM

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Watched 7/26/05 & again on 7/30/05 Mainly I find my thoughts on this have to with what a good job Depp does in creating a completely new Willy Wonka. He did a very good job of not simply redoing Gene Wilders version of Wonka. That's a very good thing. I recall Wilders version as a more sinister man, and very much an adult. Depp has created a very childlike character who is a touch crazy. But I'm not sure he's as insane as he puts on. He has these very sane looks every once in awhile when he thinks no one else is looking. And I find it interesting that with the backstory on Wonka and the added material at the end it seems to me that they've turned the story into being more about Wonka growing up a bit and learning a lesson in the end, instead of Charlie. I find this amusing considering that they went with the book title of '"Charlie" and the Chocolate Factory', in stead of "Willy Wonka and..." as the first movie did. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 8/7/05; 4:32:27 PM

Eddie Izzard, Definite Article (1996)
Watched 7/24/05 This was good entertainment. He's a very funny man. The slight downside here is that this show is from 1996, and a rare UK import if I understand correctly, and it means he's not quite as funny as in the newer shows I've already seen. Still funny, to be sure, it's just the hazard of going backwards. Certainly worth seeing. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 8/7/05; 4:17:42 PM

Saved! (2004)

Watched 7/23/05 I was hoping for something a little more parody and less serious. (Alone the lines of "But I'm a Cheerleader") The previews make it out to be more of a comedy, and I think that's a little off balance. I think they did a good job with what they did, but it was done fairly serious and straight up, and the comedy is simply found in the absurdity of the truth involved. I believe these people, all of them, are very real. Meaning that there really are people like this. And while it does poke a bit of fun, it's not a parody at all. I spent more time staring as if at a train wreck, than laughing. In the end they try to redeem several characters by leaving them in a more open minded place then they began, which is a good thing, but I thought the "happily ever after" look of the end was a bit artificial. Honestly, does a 17 year old American Christian girl with a new baby really have easy sailing from there? Even if it looks like she has some good people around? I don't know. I think it's only possible if that entire crowd sticks around to help, and that is unlikely. A bit cynical, I know, but that's me. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 8/7/05; 1:36:42 PM

Festival Express (2003)

Watched 7/17/05 I think I had high hopes for this because I was expecting it to be as good as the Woodstock movie. The three festivals and the train carrying the performers to them that this film is about takes place one year after Woodstock, in the summer of 1970. Included here are Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, and The Band. But the story is lacking, it's just a lot repetitive interview clips about how much fun everyone had drinking, drugging, and jamming on the train, and how they were losing loads of money on this tour because people were protesting in Canada because they thought it should be free. Worse than that, there are lots of concert performance clips, but it must have been early enough in the careers of these bands that they didn't have much great material yet. I recognized the Joplin songs because I know her stuff, my mom was a fan, and I love her music, but it was hardly her best. And this was very early for the Dead, they were not even headliners, they were playing early in the day. At any rate, I don't recommend this one. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 8/1/05; 8:32:56 PM

Swimming Upstream (2003)

Watched 7/16/05 This was a powerful drama with an unexpected ending. Our main character is the second of five children of a family just making it by in Australia in the late 50s and early 60s, with a stay at home mom, and a father who works at the loading docks. The main point of the entire story is that this boy does everything he can to earn his father's love and respect, but for some unknown reason the father is a nasty spiteful man who forever places one or another of his brothers ahead of him, no matter what. It doesn't matter if Tony wins more swimming races, their father will insist that John is the better swimmer. He's an abusive man, mostly he's verbally abusive, but once in awhile he also gets violent. The whole thing is heartbreaking, right up until near the end when some good changes happen. The actors are all great in my opinion. Especially Geoffrey Rush as the father, and Jesse Spencer as the son. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 8/1/05; 8:23:37 PM

The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)

Watched 7/13/05 Another movie that I enjoyed more than I expected to. You have to start with these insane Necromongers who basically worship the dead, and they have all this amazing art, and architecture, and half-dead people serving as telephones and such. Very strange and entertaining. The visuals were amazing and beautiful. And it had Judi Dench playing an air-elemental, which was fascinating. The story, was more complicated than I expected, and held together fairly well. It was definitely worth seeing. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 8/1/05; 8:01:29 PM

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2004)

Watched 7/9/05 Wow, what a crazy jerk. Assuming that this is a fairly accurate portrayal, I found myself astounded that anyone put up with this guy, especially the wives. I felt particularly sorry for his children when he told them he was leaving, that yes he still loved them, but not as much as he loved this new woman. Wow, I was glad to see his wife didn't take him back after that. He was quite the drama queen, he wouldn't talk about anything serious, he would always make a joke to deflect it instead. It's a very well put together story, including his relationships to many different people, from his mother, to his first wife and their children, to people he was making movies with, to his personal psychic, etc... It was all quite fascinating. It also sometimes felt like a train wreck that you just couldn't look away from. Geoffrey Rush did a fantastic job. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 7/25/05; 11:40:34 PM

1776 (Musical - 1972)

Watched 7/4/05 Turned out to be better than I expected. It started out a bit slow, and the songs were usually a stall point in the story, and I just wished they wouldn't go on so long. But it eventually picked up and only the latter was a problem. I learned a few things too, the most interesting of which is that they tried to abolish slavery when they were writing the Declaration of Independence, but they had to give up on that. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 7/25/05; 11:31:58 PM

Trekkies (1997)

Watched 7/3/05 This was highly entertaining because I know people like the ones in this show. I've never been to a Star Trek convention, but we get Trek fans, including plenty of Kingons at the local SciFi & Fantasy conventions. We laughed quite a bit (fans are funny people), and ocassionally gave a horrified stare (Ex: for the all Trek themed dentist office.). It included interviews from interesting and famous fans, as well as cast members who had some very touching fan stories, which made me weepy. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 7/25/05; 10:43:04 PM

Batman Begins (2005)

Watched 7/2/05 Excellent film. The acting is superb, the visuals are rich and detailed, and the story is intricate and smooth. I think Christian Bale makes for an excellent Batman. Liam Neeson, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Rutger Hauer were all excellent in their respective rolls. It's too bad they can't all return in a sequel. I really like the back story, the 'beginning'. I enjoyed the level of detail in the story, for example there are at least four bad guys, all at different levels of importance, and they are all dealt with completely and efficiently. I certainly hope that their plan here is to completely ignore past Batman movies made, and just start from here creating their own series. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 7/23/05; 6:27:58 PM

Total Recall (1990)

Watched 6/25/05 This is another good SciFi film worth re-watching every decade or two. When you first see this movie, it's fast paced enough that you just go along for the ride and you buy the whole thing as they feed it to you. It's upon second watching that you see all the details of the vacation that Doug buys, you hear all the little comments made by the technicians in the lab, and then you get to see the movie like new, from a different angle. The angle in which the man appearing and telling Doug that he's still in the lab and he's had a psychotic break, and this is the only way they know how to save him, please take this pill, is telling the truth. As usual, the one point upon which it is difficult to suspend disbelief, is Arny, and that we are supposed to believe that Mr. Muscles is just an average Joe construction worker. Oh Well. I suppose if I have to swallow that sort of detail to see more SciFi movies get made since then, I will deal with it. (Especially, since I am right now happily awaiting the coming of Serenity.) Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 7/17/05; 2:08:38 PM

Heathers (1989)

Watched 6/24/05 This one is definitely looking a bit dated now, but I still enjoyed watching it again. Christian Slater looking very young, and doing his best Jack Nicholson is always amusing. And the whole movie is a wicked fantasy fulfillment for anyone out there who hated even one 'popular' girl in high school. Of which I am certainly guilty. I mostly had no use for the popular kids, but one overly ambitious and self center girl really got in my way senior year, and while I nor anyone else I've ever known would hand such a girl a cup full of drain cleaner, I suspect many have secretly wished for just one second that they could. And when you watch Heathers you get a bit of fantasy satisfaction out of seeing them do it. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 7/17/05; 1:58:52 PM

Return of the Jedi (1983)

Watched 6/22/05 Frankly, I think this is the best of the movies in the original trilogy. A lot of people say it's the middle one, but they always follow that up by saying it's because they hate the cuddly Ewok's in the third one. Well, I don't think it's so smart to let a detail like that ruin your opinion of an entire movie. I like what he was doing with the Ewok's in the sense that these primatives help the rebels defeat the empire with all it's advanced technology. Mind you, I do believe that he was playing to the kids by making the primatives look like teddy bears, but I do think they serve a purpose besides that. I still find the story a bit stilted, and I think Lucas was too focused on all his breakthrough technologies. I wish that he would have let someone improve the script a bit. It needed a little polish and smoothing, some improved dialog in a few places. And in the end, I can respect the whole Star Wars set for what it is, but the plot and acting are not good enough that I care to watch them repeatedly. Maybe in ten years I'll get the urge to watch them all again, but probably not sooner. There are just so many good movies that I haven't seen even once yet. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 7/17/05; 1:52:07 PM

Closer (2004)

Watched 6/19/05 Four real people and their screwed up relationships. The tag line says something about love at first sight, which I don't believe in exactly, so there's probably something lost on me in the basic premise. On the other hand it is a bit of information about the central character who screws everything up for everyone, it helps inform us about his motivations I think. The characters were very real people, and the actors all did a marvelous job. It was especially wonderful to see Jude Law play a character with low self esteem, an average Joe with little charm, right after seeing Alfie. It shows what good actor he is. One problem I had with the whole thing was that somewhere in the middle they start slinging accusations about how this guy is a 'mama's boy', and that gal has a serious guilt complex, and while it might be true, I don't think they actually developed the characters in that way for the audience to see, so it was a bit disconnected. For awhile it seemed that I couldn't sympathize with any of them. But in the end I had respect for Larry's intelligence and his ability to go after and get what he wanted. I didn't like him, but at least he was working with a purpose, and he knew exactly what he was doing at every turn. On the other hand, Dan was completely dispicable and just floundering. I had no use for Anna what-so-ever. And Alice/Jane turns out to be the one I like and respect, because she gets a clue and makes the best choices in the end and takes care of herself. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 7/17/05; 1:30:04 PM

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Watched: 6/17/05 Wow, here I was expecting to remember more, but I remembered less. Almost nothing. I think all I remembered here was the stuff with Yoda. How funny. It's certainly better in the areas of plot and acting, but as a middle movie I find it lacking in something. Mainly I'm glad that I don't now have to wait three years for the next installment. I was amused to learn that when this was being filmed they kept such a tight lid on the 'real' ending of the movie that they didn't have Darth Vader (the actor in the costume) say the correct lines on camera. Only Mark Hamill knew what he was really responding to, and they had James Earl Jones do the overdub later. Apparently they were serious about keeping it a secret until the movie actually hit the theatres. I suspect this worked quite well The other thing I find strange is that overlayed I see and hear so many parodies and jokes that have come along in the last 20 years. Muddies it up a bit. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 7/7/05; 9:01:07 PM

Star Wars (1977)

Watched: 6/13/05 It's been so many years since the last time I saw this that I remember very little. Not that there is a lot to remember. It's a very simple plot. I find myself thinking that it was groundbreaking when it was new, but it doesn't stand the test of time very well. Mainly I think this is because Lucas was more concerned with the technical stuff, all the things that made it groundbreaking, than with the story and the quality of the acting. It wasn't bad, it's just that it could have been so much better. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 7/7/05; 8:53:33 PM

Alfie (2004)

Watched: 6/12/05 I rather enjoyed watching Jude Law turn on the charm full blast. This is an interesting story. Following an arch from super-playboy to lonely-bachelor. Not much time passes, it just seems that he finally hits that point in life where maybe he wants a little more. He just doesn't get it until everything falls apart, and all the people who were spoiling him before, start to disappear one by one. The only thing that didn't hold water for me was that he wasn't apparently using condoms. I think this is because it's a remake of a play/movie from the 60's. Back then, it wasn't such a big deal. There weren't any fatal deseases, and the pill was the new big thing, but things are different now. I think they left it in there because it relates to a major plot point. Hard to rewrite that. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 7/7/05; 8:49:58 PM

Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Watched: 6/10/05 This is at least the second time I've seen this. It was fun to watch it with three other people who had never seen it before. I find that most people avoid seeing this because it just sounds too strange. I think it's quite marvelous. And I was glad to hear two of these people agree with me at the end. It seems the third one really wasn't in the mood for tragedy. I realized afterwards that this is a 'tragedy of errors', which is something I've never heard anyone say. I only ever hear the term 'comedy of errors'. But it's quite an accurate term. Everything goes wrong that possibly can, and it all ends in tragedy. I don't tend to go for tragedies in general, but I've had a soft spot for this story every since I (volunatrily) reading it when I was twelve. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/29/05; 6:55:55 PM

Aviator (2004)

Watched: 6/4/05 I wasn't overly excited about seeing this movie, but I had heard some good things about it. Now I'm really glad I've seen it. It was marvelous. The sets, the story, and the acting were all quite wonderful. I can't speak to how accurate it is, but I'm positive they got all the high points properly. The most amazing thing to me was Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Katharine Hepburn. She was just playing a role, I think she was channelling her spirit. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/29/05; 6:46:58 PM

Dogma (1999)

Watched: 6/3/05 I don't know how many times I've seen this now, but I still enjoy it. Here's a quote to be remembered: Nun: You don't believe in God because of Alice in Wonderland? Loki: No, "Through the Looking Glass". That poem, "The Walrus and the Carpenter" that's an indictment of organized religion. The walrus, with his girth and his good nature, he obviously represents either Buddha, or... or with his tusks, the Hindu elephant god, Lord Ganesha. That takes care of your Eastern religions. Now the carpenter, which is an obvious reference to Jesus Christ, who was raised a carpenter's son, he represents the Western religions. Now in the poem, what do they do... what do they do? They... They dupe all these oysters into following them and then proceed to shuck and devour the helpless creatures en masse. I don't know what that says to you, but to me it says that following these faiths based on mythological figures ensure the destruction of one's inner-being. Organized religion destroys who we are by inhibiting our actions... by inhibiting our decisions, out of... out of fear of some... some intangible parent figure who... who shakes a finger at us from thousands of years ago and says... and says, "Do it - Do it and I'll fuckin' spank you. " (Then the nun wonders why she's been wasting her life and he tells her to take the money she's been collecting for the poor and go buy herself some nice clothes.) Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/28/05; 10:48:05 PM

Stage Beauty (2004)

Watched: 6/1/05 This was a fabulous movie. It's a great little fictious period piece, based on a real historic figure. The most famous actor portraying women on stage in England, just before it became legal for women to act (1660s). He goes from being a star one day, to a nobody the next. The story explores gender and self discovery, as well as the origin of the modern drag queen. And it does a marvelous job of it all. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/28/05; 10:31:21 PM

Angel: Season 5

Finished: 5/30/05 (Season 5 Episode Guide) It was interesting, but more episodic. There wasn't nearly anything like the usual season long story arch that I became use to with these shows. All the tension, bickering, and fighting between Angel and Spike was quite entertaining. Killing Fred, so they could mutate her into a goddess, was a fascinating new event. The sad part was the predictable event series: two characters finally admit they love each other, and find happiness in each others arms, and within an episode or two, one of them gets killed. Whedon needs to give that a rest. Oh well, shows over. Unless he starts another TV series, it won't likely be an issue. The downside is that the show was cancelled suddenly, and therefore the last few episodes were fairly brutal. Not the way they wanted it, and very jarring for the viewer. In the end I've come to realize that Joss Whedon's driving force is interactions between people. He cares much less about tight stories, and making sure that he isn't breaking previously written rules. He just makes up scenarios that will push his characters to react in new and interesting ways. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/22/05; 6:34:21 PM

Brazil (1985)

Watched 5/29/05 Hard to believe I've never seen this before. But it always seemed that everyone I knew had seen it already, and wasn't in the mood to see it again. It happens. Anyway, I feel like I spent the duration of the movie mildly horrified, and desperately wishing it was over already. This was punctuated by some incredibly funny moments, that I really appreciated. I'm glad I saw it, and I can see why folks wouldn't want to watch it many times over. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/22/05; 6:21:56 PM

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Watched 5/27/05 Went to the Cinerama to see this one, and it was pretty. I've seen all the movies that came before this one, multiple times, and I think I have a good idea of what to expect. Therefore, I enjoyed it. I even think this is the best of the newest three films, easily. For one thing, the actors were allowed to do their jobs properly. Although, they still couldn't manage a believable romantic scene, and that's really too bad. (Reminds me of Tolkien, who couldn't manage this either.) I'm glad that we saw little to nothing for the kiddies this time, (no Ewoks, no Jar Jar), and the violence got so bad, they actually got a PG-13 rating. Now that it's done. Well, at least two thirds of it is done, and I haven't heard any noise about them actually making the third trilogy, so I'm going to consider it done for now. Now that it's done, I have to say that I like the world, and I like the mythos, but I feel like it could have been deeper, and richer. Maybe someday, someone will do remakes, and they'll be entirely aimed at adults. Wouldn't that be fascinating. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/22/05; 6:18:23 PM

Bound (1996)
Watched 5/20/05 Another favorite of mine. So brilliantly crafted it's always worth watching again. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/12/05; 11:52:34 PM

Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones (2002)
Watched 5/15/05 Continueing the lead up to episode 3. Really do I ever need to see this one again? It's the worst in so many ways. So many great actors, whose performances are stilted and cut short. As if they weren't even given a chance to do their best. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/12/05; 11:48:55 PM

A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Watched 5/14/05 Wow. This just blew me away. True stories told so brilliantly really get me. The set up, the acting, everything wonderfully done. You know how it goes, I laughed, I cried... Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/12/05; 11:46:12 PM

The Usual Suspects (1995)
Watched 5/13/05 A great movie that I haven't seen in a few years. I still enjoy it. Great actors, especially Kevin Spacey. This is the one that really introduced me to him, and how great an actor he is. Gabriel Byrne is a favorite of mine too. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/12/05; 11:42:19 PM

Star Wars I: Phantom Menace (1999)

Watched 5/8/05 Seen this at least a couple times before. We decided to watch it again as a lead up to Episode 3 coming out soon. The funny thing was watching it with a couple folks who hadn't seen it before. How odd. I thought everyone had seen it. There are many great actors in this movie, and they make it worth while, despite Jar Jar, who always grates on my nerves. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/12/05; 11:34:17 PM

Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy (2005)
Watched 5/8/05 Fun and entertaining. I think they did a great job with it, and at the same time I won't rush right out and see it again. It amusing, yet fluffy material. Not much to delve into, so it doesn't call for repeated veiwings close together. The actors, effects and everything were great. new bits, old bits, all really worked for me. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/12/05; 11:29:45 PM

Lemony Snicket's: A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
Watched 5/7/05 Amusing, but not great. Felt too much like that mashed at least three books together, when they could have done a better job of just one. It had a "one damn thing after another" plot, and it didn't deliver on what seemed to be the greater arch of the story. On the other hand, I really liked Sonny. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/12/05; 11:24:52 PM

Being John Malkovich (1999)
Watched 5/6/05 Very strange movie. As I'd been told for ages. It didn't totally hold it up to scrutiny of the details. It was more of a "what if" that they ran with. Certainly worth seeing once. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/12/05; 11:18:56 PM

Finding Neverland (2004)
Watched 5/1/05 Incredibly charming movie. I think they did a fabulous job all around. Johnny Depp is amazing as always. Everything else about it is marvelous as well. As much as I dislike children, I'm certain that there are people out there who truly adore their company. J.M. Barrie, like Lewis Carroll seems to have been one of these. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 6/12/05; 11:14:53 PM

The Lover (1992)

Watched 4/30/05 An erotic coming-of-age movie, based on an auto-biographical book. In the film no one has names. The credits say: The Young Girl, The Chinaman, The Mother, etc... It's an interesting way to do it. The setting is 1929, French Colonial Vietnam. The girl is 15, from a poor family, and she wants a lover. On her way back to school after a holiday she meets the Chinaman, who is 32, from a wealthy family, and interested in her. They know from the beginning that they have no future, and this creates a very strange dynamic. She tells herself and him that she doesn't love him, and she's only his lover so that he will give money to her and her family. But she is young and inexperienced and she doesn't understand the depth of her feelings for him until he's gone. He is more experienced sexually, but I'm not sure that extends to love as well. He is honest when he says he loves her, but I don't think he really knows how to show her. He is very proper and his emotions seem stilted and unsure. Not the smoothest story pacing, but the acting is good, and I think it gets across the point that age is not the best way to judge maturity level. And also, just because a relationship is begun on a physical level, doesn't mean it won't develop into more. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 5/11/05; 11:28:48 PM

Underworld (2003)
Watched 4/29/05 I think this is the third time I've seen this movie. I love it. It's gorgeous, it has vampires and werewolves, and a solid original background. I think I need to own it. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 5/11/05; 10:42:05 PM

Meet the Parents (2000)

Watched 4/27/05 Need to laugh? Do you like physical humor, absurd situational comedy, and embarassment humor? If yes, this movie will likely work for you. We watch movies like this, because they make Michael laugh, which is infectious, and therefore gets me laughing as well. Ben Stiller as the dorky, bumbling potential-son-in-law, up against Robert Deniro as the "no man is good enough for my daughter" potential-father-in-law, make for some great scenes. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 5/11/05; 10:35:00 PM

A Home at the End of the World (2004)

Watched 4/24/05 This movie digs down into the soul of a man with serious abandonment issues. And who could blame him. When Bobby is eight his older brother, who he adores, is killed in a freak accident right in front of him. Then at some point off-screen, his mother dies. And then, when he's 15, his father dies in his sleep, and Bobby goes to live with the family of his best friend. Bobby has lots of love, he loves everyone, and everyone seems to love him. He's kind and he's scared of being alone. He doesn't have great big dreams, he just wants to belong, and be loved. His best friend is a little insecure about Bobby moving into his life, but then he goes off to college and leaves Bobby behind. But a few years pass and Bobby follows Jonathon to New York, and this becomes a problem again as an unusual love triangle develops with Jonathon's roommate, Claire. They try, there are problems of various kinds, but they keep trying, and it ends on a strange note. I found this to be a beautiful and touching drama. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 5/11/05; 10:30:43 PM

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Watched 4/22/05 Fascinating concept, making a good point. Or two. If people could erase unpleasant memories from their mind, would they do it? Yes. People are easy this way. Must eradicate anything we don't like. Mostly people use alcohol and drugs to do this now, which is not very effective at all. If someone was erasing a person, an entire relationship from their mind, that would very likely mean they thought the whole thing was a mistake, right? Yes. And we hate to be reminded of our mistakes, that's for sure. And if we can't remember a mistake, it's like it never happened, right? Yes. And what's the mostly likely thing to happen then? We'll just make the mistake again. Precisely. It's a bit confusing near the beginning, because the movie actually starts near the end, and then doubles back without warning. Other than that, it's fairly brilliant. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 5/11/05; 10:15:36 PM

Greg the Bunny (2002) [TV-Series]

Started 4/15/05 - Finished 4/20/05 This is a very strange little show that only last half a season, maybe 12 episodes. The premise is that puppets, "fabricated Americans", are real people. And the show mostly takes place behind the scenes of a kids show. Personally, I think someone came up with this idea while watching Sesame Street, stoned out of their minds. It is funny, from the alcoholic monkey in a stupid hat, to Count Blah, who says the Seasame Street Count stole his image, to Tardy the turtle who isn't just slow but retarded too. He delivers some of the best jokes in the show very innocently. This is not for kids, it's very adult humor. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 5/11/05; 9:07:22 PM

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972)

Watched 4/17/05 Beautiful, but boring. I was impressed by the fact that the got the use of the cards at the croquet match correct. I've never seen that done right before. But unfortunately the pacing was very slow, and I was yawning. I think someone even dozed off. Oh, and they stuck in these strange songs, that just made things drag even more. And they were mainly doing the first book here, but they left out the Walrus and the Carpenter, and they included the Tweedles, who are actually in the second book. That was unfortunate as well. So, the sets and costumes were beautiful, but the story direction choices were bad. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 5/11/05; 8:55:34 PM

Lost In La Mancha (2002)

Watched 4/16/05 This is the documentary about how Terry Gilliam's Don Quixote movie did not get made. They were filming behind the scenes, a making of, and what they got was this. One disaster after another killed the film. And it looks like it would have been marvelous if they could have actually filmed it. It's depressing, but fascinating as well. Movie Reviews 2005 item Posted: 5/11/05; 8:50:47 PM