STAR WARS - EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH - ***
THE POLAR EXPRESS - ***
CINDERELLA MAN - **1/2
SKY HIGH - The DVD I rented was bad so I never finished, but I remember liking it more than I thought I would.. will definitely have to re-rent or Netflix soon.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
I would like to comment on how scripted television is making a comeback and thankfully reality shows are being pushed back to cable networks where they belong.
here's some shows I'm watching and I hope you will give a chance to in the near future:
Invasion - Has a twin peaks/x-files thing going for it, but w/o the atmosphere or camp.
How I Met Your Mother - Neil Patrick Harris is great. No, really.
Prison Break - (aka Oz Light) has a "24" pacing to it and good performances. The writing, however...
Smallville - seriously, the new Buffy, it's that good since last season.
Threshold - good performances, but doing that villian-of-the-week thing, but it's the same villian, an alien in a human body... getting old quickly. The cast deserves a better show, but I'm rooting for it!
Ghost Whisperer - a guilty pleasure as I normally vomit at this type of CBS crap, but I like it.. I really like it!
Arrested Development - still genius... stupid baseball making it go on hiatus all October.
Scrubs - stupid NBC waiting forever to start airing season 5 which was supposed to be this month, but it's still not on the schedule - show some respect! I guess they don't feel the need to air a show starring Zach Braff, oh... who happens to be voicing the main character in Disney's Chicken Little opening next week. But why would they want to promote a show who's cast member is involved in one of the most anticipated films of the holiday season?
My Name is Earl - Good. Not great, but good. Was hoping for better, but solid. That mustache has got to go. On another other actor playing the part it'd be fine, I get that it's perfect for the character, but Jason Lee has that smile that's literally 1 in a million... why cover it up? Why not put Pamela Anderson on ths show wearing nothing but baggy sweat pants and heavy sweatshirts? Jamie Pressly is spot-on as Earl's trailer park white trash ex-wife. A real breakthrough performance.
here's some shows I'm watching and I hope you will give a chance to in the near future:
Invasion - Has a twin peaks/x-files thing going for it, but w/o the atmosphere or camp.
How I Met Your Mother - Neil Patrick Harris is great. No, really.
Prison Break - (aka Oz Light) has a "24" pacing to it and good performances. The writing, however...
Smallville - seriously, the new Buffy, it's that good since last season.
Threshold - good performances, but doing that villian-of-the-week thing, but it's the same villian, an alien in a human body... getting old quickly. The cast deserves a better show, but I'm rooting for it!
Ghost Whisperer - a guilty pleasure as I normally vomit at this type of CBS crap, but I like it.. I really like it!
Arrested Development - still genius... stupid baseball making it go on hiatus all October.
Scrubs - stupid NBC waiting forever to start airing season 5 which was supposed to be this month, but it's still not on the schedule - show some respect! I guess they don't feel the need to air a show starring Zach Braff, oh... who happens to be voicing the main character in Disney's Chicken Little opening next week. But why would they want to promote a show who's cast member is involved in one of the most anticipated films of the holiday season?
My Name is Earl - Good. Not great, but good. Was hoping for better, but solid. That mustache has got to go. On another other actor playing the part it'd be fine, I get that it's perfect for the character, but Jason Lee has that smile that's literally 1 in a million... why cover it up? Why not put Pamela Anderson on ths show wearing nothing but baggy sweat pants and heavy sweatshirts? Jamie Pressly is spot-on as Earl's trailer park white trash ex-wife. A real breakthrough performance.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
MAY SCREENINGS:
The Life Acquatic With Steve Zissou - **1/2 A bit disappointing as I'm a big fan of director Wes Anderson. Without Bill Murray, the film would have been much worse.
Team America - *** It runs long at 82 minutes, or maybe I'm just not a wooden puppet kind of person, but the songs are tremendously entertaining as is Trey Parker doing Kim Jong Il. It's easy to overlook the incredible work put into this film so I give it a high rating based on it's production values.
King Arthur - **1/2 What could have been a fascinating film about King Arthur without all the fairy-tale atmosphere turns into a wanna-be Braveheart. The cast does well, but an empahsis on battles and gore turn this into a USA Up All Night film.
National Treasure - * Nicholas Cage is Indiana Jones, sans the fedora hat, charm, wit, intelligence, et al. This high-concept film was probably thought up over a lunch and the script written over a weekend retreat. Absolute drivel and not even worth the time to watch with friends and make fun of it.
Oceans Twelve - **1/2 Why was Bernie Mac even brought back? He had like 2 scenes. What a waste. Other than that, everyone looks like they had fun making this and I had fun watching it-once. As a sidenote, Catherine Zeta Jones looks better with every film she does, how is that possible?
The Life Acquatic With Steve Zissou - **1/2 A bit disappointing as I'm a big fan of director Wes Anderson. Without Bill Murray, the film would have been much worse.
Team America - *** It runs long at 82 minutes, or maybe I'm just not a wooden puppet kind of person, but the songs are tremendously entertaining as is Trey Parker doing Kim Jong Il. It's easy to overlook the incredible work put into this film so I give it a high rating based on it's production values.
King Arthur - **1/2 What could have been a fascinating film about King Arthur without all the fairy-tale atmosphere turns into a wanna-be Braveheart. The cast does well, but an empahsis on battles and gore turn this into a USA Up All Night film.
National Treasure - * Nicholas Cage is Indiana Jones, sans the fedora hat, charm, wit, intelligence, et al. This high-concept film was probably thought up over a lunch and the script written over a weekend retreat. Absolute drivel and not even worth the time to watch with friends and make fun of it.
Oceans Twelve - **1/2 Why was Bernie Mac even brought back? He had like 2 scenes. What a waste. Other than that, everyone looks like they had fun making this and I had fun watching it-once. As a sidenote, Catherine Zeta Jones looks better with every film she does, how is that possible?
APRIL SCREENINGS
Publisher's Note: These films were screened in April, it's now mid-June; I've got to learn to take notes during my screenings...
Alfie - **1/2 This remake with Jude Law in the title role is a tamer version than it's original predecessor with Michael Cane. I remember little of this film other than another good, not great, performance by Jude Law. I mostly watched it because Jane Karakowski had a (too) small role. Better than most playboy-searching-for-themselves-fighting-adulthood-while-having-sex-with-lots-of-gorgeous-women movies.
Bridge Jones: The Edge of Reason - * Horrible film. Just awful. The cast seemed to loathe every moment. If there's another Bridget Jones film with this cast, they were obviously brainwashed and/or aliens have taken over their body.
Closer - **** What a wonder this film is! Truly great performances by it's cast--yes, even Julia Roberts (though I'd have rather seen someone like Catherine Zeta Jones cast instead). I can't recommend this film enough.
Fat Albert - **1/2 A standard live-action verion of a famous cartoon with a little 80's John Hughes teen adolescence thrown in. I rewatched some of the original cartoons and they're much funnier. I do think that Kenan Thompson is pretty funny (and embarrassingly underused on SNL).
Ladder 49 - *** Wait, I liked a non-musical John Travolta movie not directed by Quentin Tarantino? Huh. This films follows the carreer of a young fireman (Juaquin Phoenix) and the dangers he faces everyday. A solid film.
Finding Neverland - ***1/2 A great film. A wonder to watch and I envy anyone with kids old enough to understand and enjoy this film. Destined to be a classic.
The Station Agent - *** This is how I remember "independant films" when screening them in college. Small budget, no plot, great performances. The kind of film that, when it's over, you miss the characters and the world they live in.
Spanglish - *** Pos Vega will be star, if nothing than for sure in my dreams. What a stunning find this girl is. Sandler's most subtle role since "Punch Drunk Love" and again proves he can handle drama. Tea Leoni is also great - why doesn't she act more? Not my favorite among James L. Brooks' films, but when your resume has "Broadcast News" and "As Good As It Gets" that's no small accomplishment.
The Blue Collar Comedy Tour - *** A guilty pleasure for anyone without a Master's Degree.
Friday Night Lights *** - Anyone involved in High School sports can identify with this film. It doesn't have the payoff "Rudy" or "Hoosiers" does, but a fine film about sports and the pressure put on kids to perform and how their life is affected long after they leave the field.
Sideways *** - See review for "The Station Agent" above. Another great performance by Paul Giamatti; you'll get the Oscar someday Paul, I can assure you.
Elektra ** - My expectations were high for this film as I had hand-picked Jennifer Garner to play Elektra in the Daredevil film, and I felt she wasn't given enough to do in that film to really show her stuff. In "Elektra" she brings her game, which I enjoy every week on "Alias", unfortunately, someone forgot to bring a script.
The Karate Kid Series:
The Karate Kid - ***1/2 Classic story, classic film, classic karate move.
The Karate Kid Part II - ** Remake of The Karate Kid, but in Japan.
The Karate Kid Part III - ** Remake of The Karate Kid Part II, but back in L.A.
The Next Karate Kid - ** Remake of... well, all of them, but this time with a girl and no Ralph Macchio.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - *** Not one of those "funny ha-ha" films, but you find yourself quoting it often. Now a Tony award winning musical! Really? Yes, really. What happened to Glenn Headly? Last I saw she was on ER...
Publisher's Note: These films were screened in April, it's now mid-June; I've got to learn to take notes during my screenings...
Alfie - **1/2 This remake with Jude Law in the title role is a tamer version than it's original predecessor with Michael Cane. I remember little of this film other than another good, not great, performance by Jude Law. I mostly watched it because Jane Karakowski had a (too) small role. Better than most playboy-searching-for-themselves-fighting-adulthood-while-having-sex-with-lots-of-gorgeous-women movies.
Bridge Jones: The Edge of Reason - * Horrible film. Just awful. The cast seemed to loathe every moment. If there's another Bridget Jones film with this cast, they were obviously brainwashed and/or aliens have taken over their body.
Closer - **** What a wonder this film is! Truly great performances by it's cast--yes, even Julia Roberts (though I'd have rather seen someone like Catherine Zeta Jones cast instead). I can't recommend this film enough.
Fat Albert - **1/2 A standard live-action verion of a famous cartoon with a little 80's John Hughes teen adolescence thrown in. I rewatched some of the original cartoons and they're much funnier. I do think that Kenan Thompson is pretty funny (and embarrassingly underused on SNL).
Ladder 49 - *** Wait, I liked a non-musical John Travolta movie not directed by Quentin Tarantino? Huh. This films follows the carreer of a young fireman (Juaquin Phoenix) and the dangers he faces everyday. A solid film.
Finding Neverland - ***1/2 A great film. A wonder to watch and I envy anyone with kids old enough to understand and enjoy this film. Destined to be a classic.
The Station Agent - *** This is how I remember "independant films" when screening them in college. Small budget, no plot, great performances. The kind of film that, when it's over, you miss the characters and the world they live in.
Spanglish - *** Pos Vega will be star, if nothing than for sure in my dreams. What a stunning find this girl is. Sandler's most subtle role since "Punch Drunk Love" and again proves he can handle drama. Tea Leoni is also great - why doesn't she act more? Not my favorite among James L. Brooks' films, but when your resume has "Broadcast News" and "As Good As It Gets" that's no small accomplishment.
The Blue Collar Comedy Tour - *** A guilty pleasure for anyone without a Master's Degree.
Friday Night Lights *** - Anyone involved in High School sports can identify with this film. It doesn't have the payoff "Rudy" or "Hoosiers" does, but a fine film about sports and the pressure put on kids to perform and how their life is affected long after they leave the field.
Sideways *** - See review for "The Station Agent" above. Another great performance by Paul Giamatti; you'll get the Oscar someday Paul, I can assure you.
Elektra ** - My expectations were high for this film as I had hand-picked Jennifer Garner to play Elektra in the Daredevil film, and I felt she wasn't given enough to do in that film to really show her stuff. In "Elektra" she brings her game, which I enjoy every week on "Alias", unfortunately, someone forgot to bring a script.
The Karate Kid Series:
The Karate Kid - ***1/2 Classic story, classic film, classic karate move.
The Karate Kid Part II - ** Remake of The Karate Kid, but in Japan.
The Karate Kid Part III - ** Remake of The Karate Kid Part II, but back in L.A.
The Next Karate Kid - ** Remake of... well, all of them, but this time with a girl and no Ralph Macchio.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - *** Not one of those "funny ha-ha" films, but you find yourself quoting it often. Now a Tony award winning musical! Really? Yes, really. What happened to Glenn Headly? Last I saw she was on ER...
Friday, March 18, 2005
March Screenings:
Newsies - ** Imagine an all boy-band version of Annie. Yeah, I didn't like it either.
Fiddler on the Roof - *** A bit long and not as originaly imagined as director Norman Jewison's "Jesus Christ Superstar" but a great musical and Topol does a fine job. As much as I liked the songs, I found they started to interrupt a good story after the first half-hour.
The Accidental Tourist - *** Fine, very subtle performances and an intelligent script adaptation by Frank Galati and director Lawrence Kasdan (based on Anny Tyler's book) make this a great film to absorb.
Underworld: Director's Cut - ** Visually I still like this film and Kate Beckinsale is stunningly beautiful in the costumes but it's just silly and not in that good way "The Mummy" is.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - *** Infectious songs by the Sherman Brothers and Dick Van Dyke make this an enjoyable family adventure film. Good visual effects for it's time.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury - **1/2 No magic here, as this anime style focuses much more on visuals than plot. If you're a fan of anime and the Riddick story, it's worth a look, but if you're in the mood for good anime watch "Spirited Away", "Millenium Actress" or "Grave of the Fireflies."
Nine Months - **1/2 Decent enough effort from director Chris Columbus and it's a good Hugh Grant film. I re-watched it again because at the time of it's original release, Julianne Moore was becoming a favorite of mine after her impressive performance in "Short Cuts." Robin Williams has a great small cameo.
Van Wilder - *** I put off seeing this because, after 7 years in college, I was the *original* Van Wilder. For me this film gave me more nostaligia than laughs, but it's numerous funny performances keep the film entertaining. Beetlejuice - ***1/2 Still a favorite of mine. It holds up well after almost two decades.
The Breakfast Club - **** I watched this at least 100 times during high school and it's still great. Even contemporary "independent" films struggle to measure up. Sure this was a studio film, but John Hughes was wise enough to film it almost as a play and let the script and actors take the film where it needed to go.
The Cat's Meow - **1/2 Based on true events, this is Peter Bogdanovich's interpretation of a yacht voyage with famous figures and celebrities where a murder has occurred. The actors do their best to live up to the icons they're portraying especially Eddie Izzard and Kirstin Dunst. Additional credit should go to Izzard for playing Chaplin only a decade after Robert Downey's Oscar-nominated performance and making it distinguishable enough that I wasn't thinking of Downey the entire time. Good production and costume design.
Showgirls - 1/2 (as a film) **** (for camp value) I hadn't seen this film yet. I had no reason. I still had no reason to see it, but I did. It's so horribly wonderful. I now get the hand gesture Silent Bob gave to Jay in "Chasing Amy" after Silent Bob says he always wanted to be a dancer in Vegas.
Evolution - **1/2 Basically a remake of "Ghostbusters." Ivan Reitman must have reached the bottom of his barrell of tricks and only had enough left for a cameo by Dan Aykroyd. It has a DTS mix, Julianne Moore doing pratfalls, David Duchovny doing dry humor (which he's best at) and Sean William Scott (though not enough of him) so I was won over.
Flight of the Phoenix - *1/2 DTS mixes can get you only so far and even though the plane crash is impressively mixed, the film is ridiculous in the way it picks off it's cast members like a teen horror flick. Dennis Quaid is better than this.
Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle - *** Yes, I should have written this a long, long time ago. But I didn't. Yet, I can proudly admit I thought it was hilarious and everything a road movie aimed at stoned teens and twenty-somethings should be. Hope and Crosby would be proud.
Dodgeball - *** Some good laughs and would make a good double-feature with "Old School". I don't think I can get tired of Vince Vaughn doing this type of comedies. He's the new Bill Murray.
The Princess Bride - **** I've seen this at least 100 times and it just gets better. A perfect film, and I don't say that often.
The Forgotten - **1/2 My Julianne Moore film festival continued with this horror/sci-fi/thriller. As much as I had figured it out sooner than I wanted to, it was still impressivly done and with fine performances from the entire cast. Some refer to it as a "Sixth Sense" rip-off, but it deserves more credit than that. One of those "it would have made a good Twilight Zone episode" films.
The Exorcist: The Beginning - ** I'm waiting for the Paul Schrader version. This was only slightly above average of a teen horror film. I expect more from director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2: Die Harder, The Adventures of Ford Fairlaine, The Long Kiss Goodnight) but I guess he's allowed a stinker or two. Of his work that I've seen ("Cutthroat Island" isn't one of them) this will count as his first for me.
Shaun of the Dead - *** Fantastic take on a zombie movie. I liked this better than my previous favorite zombie movie "28 Days Later" (both British... I sense a pattern) and "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" was gaining fast.
Newsies - ** Imagine an all boy-band version of Annie. Yeah, I didn't like it either.
Fiddler on the Roof - *** A bit long and not as originaly imagined as director Norman Jewison's "Jesus Christ Superstar" but a great musical and Topol does a fine job. As much as I liked the songs, I found they started to interrupt a good story after the first half-hour.
The Accidental Tourist - *** Fine, very subtle performances and an intelligent script adaptation by Frank Galati and director Lawrence Kasdan (based on Anny Tyler's book) make this a great film to absorb.
Underworld: Director's Cut - ** Visually I still like this film and Kate Beckinsale is stunningly beautiful in the costumes but it's just silly and not in that good way "The Mummy" is.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - *** Infectious songs by the Sherman Brothers and Dick Van Dyke make this an enjoyable family adventure film. Good visual effects for it's time.
The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury - **1/2 No magic here, as this anime style focuses much more on visuals than plot. If you're a fan of anime and the Riddick story, it's worth a look, but if you're in the mood for good anime watch "Spirited Away", "Millenium Actress" or "Grave of the Fireflies."
Nine Months - **1/2 Decent enough effort from director Chris Columbus and it's a good Hugh Grant film. I re-watched it again because at the time of it's original release, Julianne Moore was becoming a favorite of mine after her impressive performance in "Short Cuts." Robin Williams has a great small cameo.
Van Wilder - *** I put off seeing this because, after 7 years in college, I was the *original* Van Wilder. For me this film gave me more nostaligia than laughs, but it's numerous funny performances keep the film entertaining. Beetlejuice - ***1/2 Still a favorite of mine. It holds up well after almost two decades.
The Breakfast Club - **** I watched this at least 100 times during high school and it's still great. Even contemporary "independent" films struggle to measure up. Sure this was a studio film, but John Hughes was wise enough to film it almost as a play and let the script and actors take the film where it needed to go.
The Cat's Meow - **1/2 Based on true events, this is Peter Bogdanovich's interpretation of a yacht voyage with famous figures and celebrities where a murder has occurred. The actors do their best to live up to the icons they're portraying especially Eddie Izzard and Kirstin Dunst. Additional credit should go to Izzard for playing Chaplin only a decade after Robert Downey's Oscar-nominated performance and making it distinguishable enough that I wasn't thinking of Downey the entire time. Good production and costume design.
Showgirls - 1/2 (as a film) **** (for camp value) I hadn't seen this film yet. I had no reason. I still had no reason to see it, but I did. It's so horribly wonderful. I now get the hand gesture Silent Bob gave to Jay in "Chasing Amy" after Silent Bob says he always wanted to be a dancer in Vegas.
Evolution - **1/2 Basically a remake of "Ghostbusters." Ivan Reitman must have reached the bottom of his barrell of tricks and only had enough left for a cameo by Dan Aykroyd. It has a DTS mix, Julianne Moore doing pratfalls, David Duchovny doing dry humor (which he's best at) and Sean William Scott (though not enough of him) so I was won over.
Flight of the Phoenix - *1/2 DTS mixes can get you only so far and even though the plane crash is impressively mixed, the film is ridiculous in the way it picks off it's cast members like a teen horror flick. Dennis Quaid is better than this.
Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle - *** Yes, I should have written this a long, long time ago. But I didn't. Yet, I can proudly admit I thought it was hilarious and everything a road movie aimed at stoned teens and twenty-somethings should be. Hope and Crosby would be proud.
Dodgeball - *** Some good laughs and would make a good double-feature with "Old School". I don't think I can get tired of Vince Vaughn doing this type of comedies. He's the new Bill Murray.
The Princess Bride - **** I've seen this at least 100 times and it just gets better. A perfect film, and I don't say that often.
The Forgotten - **1/2 My Julianne Moore film festival continued with this horror/sci-fi/thriller. As much as I had figured it out sooner than I wanted to, it was still impressivly done and with fine performances from the entire cast. Some refer to it as a "Sixth Sense" rip-off, but it deserves more credit than that. One of those "it would have made a good Twilight Zone episode" films.
The Exorcist: The Beginning - ** I'm waiting for the Paul Schrader version. This was only slightly above average of a teen horror film. I expect more from director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2: Die Harder, The Adventures of Ford Fairlaine, The Long Kiss Goodnight) but I guess he's allowed a stinker or two. Of his work that I've seen ("Cutthroat Island" isn't one of them) this will count as his first for me.
Shaun of the Dead - *** Fantastic take on a zombie movie. I liked this better than my previous favorite zombie movie "28 Days Later" (both British... I sense a pattern) and "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" was gaining fast.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
February Screenings:
Shark Tale - **1/2 A decent animated comedy with an all-star cast. Personally, I don't think it deserved the Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature over "The Polar Express." Time will tell which one we'll be referring to and enjoying 20 years from now.
Ray - ***1/2 Jamie Foxx deservedly won the Oscar for this powerhouse performance of the legendary pianist who changed not just rock-n-roll, but also set an industry standard by owning the masters to his own recordings. A wise man and talented man who struggled with demons throughout his career.
Chronicles of Riddick - **1/2 It could have been worse, right? Very visual but Riddick becomes more of the hero than the anti-hero he was in "Pitch Black" (which I highly recommend). If you're in the mood for sci-fi fluff, this is for you.
Jesus Christ Superstar - **** Fantastic interpretation of the famous rock opera. The print leaves something to be desired (especially a better print). Let's hope this can get some sort of special edition with a DTS soundtrack.
Deep Impact - *** No Bruce Willis or Ben Affleck (crying, as usual) but I'm a sucker for movies about asteroid's on a collision course with Earth and this is the adult version. And it has Lee Lee Sobieski (My Helen Hunt crush will live on in her for a long time)
The Village - ** Over the course of 4 films, M. Night went from overnight sensation to a one-trick pony. Easily the worst of his three films, and I've seen "Unbreakable" at least twice.
AVP: Alien Vs. Predator - **1/2 I expected much worse. It wanted to be "The Thing" (either version) so if that's what you want, rent "The Thing." Otherwise this is basically a live-action video game and you have no control over the plot. Like you care. Great production value shows the crew did their job, but as my friend Spencer put it, "it's a polished turd."
The Vagina Monologues - **1/2 Well written and performed. It's easy to see why every actress over 25 wanted a chance to perform this.
Road to Singapore/Zanzibar/Bali/Morocco/Utopia - **1/2 I'm sure they were much better when viewings were a couple years apart, but watching them back to back I lost a lot of that "here we go again..." feeling. Morocco was the first one I watched and stayed my favorite, although Bali was pretty good too.
Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie - *** I didn't care for the series much, but this film has some genuine laughs.
Bill Maher: Victory Begins At Home - *** Bill likes to say what he hopes we're thinking, and usually succeeds, at least for me.
Trekkies 2 - *** It's hard to critique this as a film, when you sit there open-mouthed at the crazy antics of the Trekkers (they don't like to be referred to as Trekkies... that's right...)
And Starring Poncho Villa As Himself - *** Enjoyable movie with great production value. Eion Bailey could have a promising career; losing out to Christian Bale for the role of Batman isn't the best of luck, but it's an honor just to be considered, right?
Margaret Cho: I'm The One That I Want - *** An homage to the stand-up films of the 70's and 80's make this production worth watching, and I find Cho's humor interesting; especially the imiation of her mother.
Margaret Cho: Notorious C.H.O - ** repeating some of the first film's material doesn't help this video-taped version of Cho in concert. Looks like cable access.
Margaret Cho: CHO Revolution - **1/2 By the time this film was made Cho had become the new Cher to several in the gay community, but, like Cher, the diva seems to be more important than the artist.
I, Robot - **1/2 Enjoyable but not spectacular sci-fi film with Will Smith saving the world. Again. That's so '95.
De-Lovely - *** Highly entertaining film about the life of Cole Porter. Sort of a Moulin Rouge but a musical and set mostly in Paris in the early 1900's. Wait. No, that's right... Great production design, performances and, of course, music make this an underappreciated gem of 2004.
Sky Captain and the World Of Tomorrow - *** As an homage to the serial adventure's of the 30's and 40's this film succeeds on every level of production. Miscasting, however tempers the enjoyment. Were the lead an unknown and not Jude Law making his 4th or 5th film appearance in as many months, this film may have gotten more word of mouth and been more successful. Sadly, Law has expressed interest in turning it into a franshise. Maybe we could hope his role would be restricted to just a Producer. Overall, writer/director Kerry Conran's personal story about how this project got off the ground is a great inspirational story for any aspiring filmmaker.
Collateral - ***1/2 Outstanding film in every aspect. Too much to get into for this little blurb.
Garden State - *** Good performances but a loose script that ties seemingly random events together keep this from becoming "The Graduate" for a new generation. Or maybe I'm too old. Writer/Director and star Zach Braff (TV's Scrubs - my favorite show) wears too many hats for his debut, but shows promise nonetheless.
Shark Tale - **1/2 A decent animated comedy with an all-star cast. Personally, I don't think it deserved the Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature over "The Polar Express." Time will tell which one we'll be referring to and enjoying 20 years from now.
Ray - ***1/2 Jamie Foxx deservedly won the Oscar for this powerhouse performance of the legendary pianist who changed not just rock-n-roll, but also set an industry standard by owning the masters to his own recordings. A wise man and talented man who struggled with demons throughout his career.
Chronicles of Riddick - **1/2 It could have been worse, right? Very visual but Riddick becomes more of the hero than the anti-hero he was in "Pitch Black" (which I highly recommend). If you're in the mood for sci-fi fluff, this is for you.
Jesus Christ Superstar - **** Fantastic interpretation of the famous rock opera. The print leaves something to be desired (especially a better print). Let's hope this can get some sort of special edition with a DTS soundtrack.
Deep Impact - *** No Bruce Willis or Ben Affleck (crying, as usual) but I'm a sucker for movies about asteroid's on a collision course with Earth and this is the adult version. And it has Lee Lee Sobieski (My Helen Hunt crush will live on in her for a long time)
The Village - ** Over the course of 4 films, M. Night went from overnight sensation to a one-trick pony. Easily the worst of his three films, and I've seen "Unbreakable" at least twice.
AVP: Alien Vs. Predator - **1/2 I expected much worse. It wanted to be "The Thing" (either version) so if that's what you want, rent "The Thing." Otherwise this is basically a live-action video game and you have no control over the plot. Like you care. Great production value shows the crew did their job, but as my friend Spencer put it, "it's a polished turd."
The Vagina Monologues - **1/2 Well written and performed. It's easy to see why every actress over 25 wanted a chance to perform this.
Road to Singapore/Zanzibar/Bali/Morocco/Utopia - **1/2 I'm sure they were much better when viewings were a couple years apart, but watching them back to back I lost a lot of that "here we go again..." feeling. Morocco was the first one I watched and stayed my favorite, although Bali was pretty good too.
Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie - *** I didn't care for the series much, but this film has some genuine laughs.
Bill Maher: Victory Begins At Home - *** Bill likes to say what he hopes we're thinking, and usually succeeds, at least for me.
Trekkies 2 - *** It's hard to critique this as a film, when you sit there open-mouthed at the crazy antics of the Trekkers (they don't like to be referred to as Trekkies... that's right...)
And Starring Poncho Villa As Himself - *** Enjoyable movie with great production value. Eion Bailey could have a promising career; losing out to Christian Bale for the role of Batman isn't the best of luck, but it's an honor just to be considered, right?
Margaret Cho: I'm The One That I Want - *** An homage to the stand-up films of the 70's and 80's make this production worth watching, and I find Cho's humor interesting; especially the imiation of her mother.
Margaret Cho: Notorious C.H.O - ** repeating some of the first film's material doesn't help this video-taped version of Cho in concert. Looks like cable access.
Margaret Cho: CHO Revolution - **1/2 By the time this film was made Cho had become the new Cher to several in the gay community, but, like Cher, the diva seems to be more important than the artist.
I, Robot - **1/2 Enjoyable but not spectacular sci-fi film with Will Smith saving the world. Again. That's so '95.
De-Lovely - *** Highly entertaining film about the life of Cole Porter. Sort of a Moulin Rouge but a musical and set mostly in Paris in the early 1900's. Wait. No, that's right... Great production design, performances and, of course, music make this an underappreciated gem of 2004.
Sky Captain and the World Of Tomorrow - *** As an homage to the serial adventure's of the 30's and 40's this film succeeds on every level of production. Miscasting, however tempers the enjoyment. Were the lead an unknown and not Jude Law making his 4th or 5th film appearance in as many months, this film may have gotten more word of mouth and been more successful. Sadly, Law has expressed interest in turning it into a franshise. Maybe we could hope his role would be restricted to just a Producer. Overall, writer/director Kerry Conran's personal story about how this project got off the ground is a great inspirational story for any aspiring filmmaker.
Collateral - ***1/2 Outstanding film in every aspect. Too much to get into for this little blurb.
Garden State - *** Good performances but a loose script that ties seemingly random events together keep this from becoming "The Graduate" for a new generation. Or maybe I'm too old. Writer/Director and star Zach Braff (TV's Scrubs - my favorite show) wears too many hats for his debut, but shows promise nonetheless.
January Screenings:
Gilmore Girls - Season 2 - My new favorite show. Thanks Darcy! (and every gay guy I've ever talked to)
Taken - (Sci-Fi Channel mini-series) I hadn't much interest in this until I discovered that Dakota Fanning was involved. She's my favorite actress and it's *amazing* what this kid can do.
My TV schedule is getting full again with 24 and Alias back on the air. I also started watching Desperate Housewives and believe it's worth all the hype; a really great show. This isn't your mother's night-time soap opera! (Well, it kinda is, which is why it's good and with a very pretty cast)
I spent the rest of the month watching porn.
What. Shut up.
Gilmore Girls - Season 2 - My new favorite show. Thanks Darcy! (and every gay guy I've ever talked to)
Taken - (Sci-Fi Channel mini-series) I hadn't much interest in this until I discovered that Dakota Fanning was involved. She's my favorite actress and it's *amazing* what this kid can do.
My TV schedule is getting full again with 24 and Alias back on the air. I also started watching Desperate Housewives and believe it's worth all the hype; a really great show. This isn't your mother's night-time soap opera! (Well, it kinda is, which is why it's good and with a very pretty cast)
I spent the rest of the month watching porn.
What. Shut up.
December Screenings:
The projector screen fell down shortly before Thanksgiving, so I spent most of December watching Sex & The City episodes as I'd only seen a handfull. I'd be finished by now but the place I rent from lost their copy of Season 6: Part One - Disc 2. So I'm stuck until I Netflix it.
But I will comment that I liked the show more than I thought I would. I was resentful for many years for it winning so many awards and Sarah Jessica Parker winning every award. I don't see what she did that couldn't have been done by anyone else, not that she's not a good actress, I just don't think it stood out. I was impressed much more with Kim Catttrall (Samantha) and Cynthia Nixon (Miranda) while developing the biggest man-crush on Chris Noth.
I also started "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and have Seasons 2 and 3 ready to go. Larry David and I were separated at birth (albiet a few years apart).
The projector screen fell down shortly before Thanksgiving, so I spent most of December watching Sex & The City episodes as I'd only seen a handfull. I'd be finished by now but the place I rent from lost their copy of Season 6: Part One - Disc 2. So I'm stuck until I Netflix it.
But I will comment that I liked the show more than I thought I would. I was resentful for many years for it winning so many awards and Sarah Jessica Parker winning every award. I don't see what she did that couldn't have been done by anyone else, not that she's not a good actress, I just don't think it stood out. I was impressed much more with Kim Catttrall (Samantha) and Cynthia Nixon (Miranda) while developing the biggest man-crush on Chris Noth.
I also started "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and have Seasons 2 and 3 ready to go. Larry David and I were separated at birth (albiet a few years apart).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
