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Reviews
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
Better than Advertised
Panned by critics and loathed by Seuss purists, this movie managed to capture just enough hearts to lasso in $260 million when it opened in 2000. Ron Howard's recipe for The Grinch is more of a smorgasbord, and as such, reactions were varied depending on who liked which parts.
The visuals, a combination of elaborate sets and costumes and computer graphics, are a stunning replica of Seussian illustrations. Buildings and walkways are odd-shaped, almost organic, and machines are crammed full of moving parts and oversized cogs. The colors are crisp but the palette is somewhat muted. It seems more natural for a Seussian world to look like a Technicolor musical but in fact the books were themselves simple and soft on the eyes. The costumes are festive and creative, like Cindy Lou's family dressed up like a Christmas dinner, with plates and cookies and hats shaped like mugs of eggnog. James Horner's score is par for the course, a mixture of the film's storybook mood and Horner's own penchant for stealing from his own work.
The story is a melting pot of popular culture, borrowing heavily from the book, stealing settings from the Chuck Jones cartoon, and adding some modern flavor; some psychological background on the Grinch's troubled childhood mixed with a new twist on the Who's, who seem to have let their Christmas become commercialized. Seuss purists may prefer to think of the Who's as being more innocent; after all, the Grinch learned his lesson from watching the innocent Who's without their presents. Chuck Schulz probably wasn't happy, thinking he had the market on commercialized Christmas cornered with his classic Charlie Brown Christmas. I'm not really thrilled with this twist either, but it's one way to take the story from a ten-minute book to a half-hour cartoon to a 90-minute film.
Roger Ebert was a little hard on this film, saying it was too dark and focused on the Grinch's meanness. I thought as one-dimensional as the Who's are in the story, they tried too hard to expand on THEM. The Fat One is never wrong, but I have to say, the Grinch is the central focus of the story, and as such deserves every second of screen time he gets. Hollywood is a town that recognizes Jim Carrey's comic genius, but still doesn't quite know what to do with it. Ron Howard is one of the more recent to try. Carrey is given all the comedic stylings he can handle; from a eerily good impression of Boris Karloff; to the Chuck Jones cartoon images of skittering on the floor on his fingers and toes, the old saw-the-floor-under-the-tree gag and the triumphant lifting of the sled on Mt. Crumpit; to physical gags of every variety (Carrey yanks a cloth off a table, leaving numerous pots and pans untouched, then returns to upset them all and tip the table); to spoofs of several popular movies (Chariots of Fire comes to mind); to other pop culture gags (Carrey checks an answering machine message, his greeting is "If you so much as utter one syllable, I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN AND GUT YOU LIKE A FISH! ... if you'd like to fax me, press the * key). With the combination of voices, facial expressions and overacting, I still hang on every word he says; to this day I'm tickled when he puts on a Navy ball cap and spoofs his own director.
His supporting cast is more than competent. Christine Baranski, his unrequited love, is her typecast snooty self (and with a bit more cleavage than Seuss might appreciate). Taylor Momsen is the quintessential darling as Cindy Lou Who, and her father (Bill Irwin) is both naive (The Grinch wraps her up in paper, her father says upon finding her "You've been practicing your Christmas wrapping") and heartwarming (the mayor yells "What's the matter with you?!? She's a child!" and he says plainly, "she's MY child... and she happens to be right.") Molly Shannon is the standard annoying suburban housewife, Ron's brother Clint Howard steals scenes as the mayor's toadie, and the rest of the town is largely populated with stereotypes: old biddies, an Irish cop, a chunky self-important mayor, a prudish teacher, and so on). The whole story is wonderfully narrated by the gentle, articulate voice of Anthony Hopkins.
I'm one of maybe 7 people on Planet Earth that actually enjoyed nearly all the pieces of this muddled Seussian story. But I recommend it all the same, no matter what the Fat One says.
X2 (2003)
A Worthy Sequel, Action Makes Up for Flaws in Story
I loved this movie! I give it 8 out of 10. My thoughts (with spoilers but I think you all saw it): First the bad: the storyline was somewhat lacking in several areas. Some things that bugged me: - Cyclops was practically useless again. I might have wept with him if I could relate to his character at all. If they don't develop him in X3 I will probably never care about him at all. - Lady Deathstrike only added one thing to the film. She's never mentioned by name, so the non-comic-geeks will never know her, and she doesn't speak at all if I recall correctly. Her one use in the film, the big fight with Wolvie. A horrendous underuse of her character considering how formidable she is in the comics. Great fight tho. - The scene with Mystique in the tent with Wolverine, in my opinion, added nothing to the film. I am still trying to figure out what that scene has to do with anything, and it's just confusing me more. - The mystery with Jean's powers I felt was not handled well; it left the audience out entirely. Imagine Wolverine thrashing around in bed without being able to see the horrifying images in his dreams, and you begin to see a). what I mean when I say that and b). how I felt we could relate better to her transformation and especially her precognitions. Images of Xavier trapped in the plastic cell, the mutants suffering from the mind bolts, the giant wall of water closing on the ship... all kinds of fun things could be foreshadowed without giving away the whole movie and in the end culminate in the choice that she made. Instead she looks confused and computers fizzle. Then her powers are strong, then they are non-existent. As someone who had forgotten about the Phoenix storyline I had the benefit of seeing this part from an outsider's perspective, and I was confused up to and beyond the moment of her death. Only when they showed the image of Phoenix beneath the water did it make sense to me, but only because I know the comic lore. I just feel this should have been made more accessible. - Offhand, how was there no other way to escape when you have someone on board who can control the weather and another who can make ice? - I would have liked some explanation of the drug Stryker was using to control mutants. - Offhand, if he was controlling Nightcrawler, how did he get ahold of him in the first place, and why didn't he go looking to recover him after the failed assassination? - Apparently nobody cares about Jason Stryker. Maybe if Xavier had said "hey we need to rescue Jason" and Kurt said "I can't teleport him and his chair. It's too big... slugheads!" then at least he'd be given lip service instead of callously left to die. His story is tragic enough as it is. - I got their method of moving Pyro into Magneto's camp, and I picked up on the hints and clues and such, the no-parent-figures thing compared to Bobby, and Magneto sort of turning him to the Dark Side a la Palpatine and such... but one more scene would have been great. A dialogue with Rogue or Bobby, or even Magneto, outlining his inner struggle which eventually led him to look to Magneto for guidance, and especially why he didn't subscribe to Xavier's philosophies, would have lent a lot more to this thread, which otherwise was pretty good anyway. When you consider how many strong points the movie had though, these numerous flaws are minor by contrast. Some good (and VERY GOOD) things: - Nightcrawler was awesome. Dead-on perfect. With Wolverine and "Wheels", Nightcrawler makes the 3rd good character who is almost an exact reproduction of his comic persona. To be fair, the only "flaw" in a lot of the good mutants is their age, which is revised downward to enhance the image of the school, and that's perfectly fine with me. ALL the evil mutants, on the other hand, seem to be spot-on, except for Deathstrike as mentioned above. - Great scenes in this film: Wolvie going nuts on those special ops guys, Nightcrawler's assassination attempt, Magneto escaping from prison with three ball bearings, the Wolvie-Deathstrike fight, Pyro kicking all those cops' butts... really too many to count. - In general the use of Magneto's and Mystique's powers are very clever. If the good guys used their powers half as well as those two, they'd be unstoppable. - Cameos galore: Shadowcat (again), Colossus, Siryn, and so forth. I was disappointed that Beast and Gambit did not appear as promised, but at least Hank McCoy and Remy LeBeau were obliquely referenced. - Good contrasting figures worked into the story. Examples: Iceman with a loving but scared and confused family, paired up with Pyro who appears to have been abandoned by his. Maybe if someone told me what happened to him I could elaborate. Also: Storm and her anger at being discriminated, paired with Nightcrawler who still sees beauty in the world and in humanity. - The scene in Iceman's home lent a lot more weight to the conflict between humans and mutants. Made it a lot more tangible. Also highlighted why Xavier discourages open displays of some mutant powers. Can't wait for this one to hit the discount theater so I can see it again. Heard it made 85 million this weekend. I will be completely un-original and say that this film isn't Citizen Kane but it's a good action film, a good comic-geek film, and will rule the cinemas for exactly 12 days, and then the Matrix will completely swallow it up.
A Christmas Story (1983)
A Worthy Addition to the Christmas Collection
It's hard to believe that a movie made in 1983 could cement itself in the stable of holiday must-see films, yet since the first time I saw it, it's been on my list to watch between Thanksgiving and New Year. It doesn't have the warm holiday glow or old-fashioned nostalgia of Wonderful Life or White Christmas, but that's not necessarily a bad thing; this film occupies a category almost by itself.
There are some who have expressed a distaste for the film, and I imagine it's for many of the same reasons that some didn't care for The Grinch in 2001. If you watch this film thinking it's about Christmas, or about a BB gun, or to be funny in the traditional sense, you will probably come away disappointed. However, if you just sit back and take in what is given to you, it is almost certain to draw you in with its charm.
The basic premise of the story is that Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) is on a quest to get a prized BB gun for Christmas. The true shine of this film is in the details that surround it. The story is narrated by an adult Ralph (voiced by Jean Shepherd, who also wrote the book whereupon it's based, In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash), likely a brainchild for the Wonder Years format. And he tells it in fine form, giving the events of an 8-year-old boy the visage of an epic story, which to a boy that age, things like BB guns and bullies and radio programs (50 years ago) were indeed the foundation of the world.
Adding to this winning formula, hilarious yet common occurrences pepper this film with humor: boys flash-freezing their tongues to flagpoles, having one's mouth washed out with soap, sending in vouchers for secret decoder pins, the overactive imagination of a child, the taboo of dirty language, hideous clothing your aunt made for you... each with their own punch line which I dare not spoil here.
What makes this everyday brand of humor hilarious are convincing performances by Billingsley, Ralphie's mother (Melinda Dillon) and father (Darren McGavin), the idyllic Midwestern setting, the nostalgia of the 40s that perhaps has drawn in older audiences more than younger... it just FEELS like a typical American family. Relating to these characters is critical to making the subtleties of this film effective, and I think it is pulled off splendidly.
Today's moviegoers may prefer The Grinch or Christmas Vacation for yuletide humor, and both are fine films in their regard, but I find myself without fail laughing harder at this quiet surprise than either of those.
A Walk to Remember (2002)
A Surprising Vacation from Typical Teen Tripe
I originally walked into this movie as punishment for taking my girlfriend to see Kung Pow with my friends. I turned the tables on her, however, my enjoying this movie, and with good reason.
I have never read the book, and in either case I have no idea what correlation exists between the title and the story, but I do know this about the movie, it is a good story that is competently acted by the principals. Shane West is good at pouting at authority and even better at showing steely resolve when someone dares to believe in him. Mandy Moore easily sells her role as the quiet but confident church mouse, but I think she cheats by having those big brown eyes. The dialog is not perfect but manages to make its point and move the story forward. Personally I think if dialog is "good enough" you need to go back and make it great, but the story itself, while a bit cliched and contrived, glosses over the holes in the dialog.
The movie starts off rather hard-edged and typical of Varsity Blues-type teen movies, but the opening scene is an antithesis to the rest of the story. It is so disjointed that it almost seems out of place, probably because it was not in the book (I'm told), but it can be dismissed as necessary to get us acquainted with the fact that these teens are going headlong down the path to trouble. Once that's out of the way, we can actually start examining the characters.
West seems angry at everybody, probably because his dad left him and his mom is Daryl Hannah in a bad wig. Add his desire to be cool with his friends, mostly by pretending not to care what people think (a dichotomy that only makes sense if you're cool), and you have a kid only to happy to glare at everybody.
Moore is a preacher's daughter who inexplicably sees West and finds in him an inner strength that no one else sees. The film suggests that it's because nobody else is looking for it, a subtle undertone about the times. It goes without saying that they fall in love, and there is a major tragic plot twist in the final third of the movie that has the whole theater blubbering by end credits.
The dirty little secret of this movie is that the story is not about the couple, but about West and his character's redemption. The undertones of faith and charity scream for a religious message, but for better or worse, there is no actual conversion process in the film. I was personally disappointed by this, as it seems to suggest redemption by proxy, which is both unbiblical and impractical, but in an age where religion is immediately and unfairly linked with prosletyzing, it's a compromise I will have to live with.
Having said this, the final portion of the movie seemed a bit drawn out and misdirected. Time spent languishing over the principals, their tragedy and their resolve (a bit mature and dry-eyed for 18-year-olds), could have been invested in West's interaction with supporting characters. In fact, the supporting cast has been sentenced to the periphery in this film, appearing only now and again to remind us that West and Moore are not the only two people on earth. Perhaps truncating the later scenes and replacing them with longer scenes involving the supporting characters would have fleshed them out more, and as a result, made the principals more three-dimensional as well. A good supporting role does not supplant the main story or give the audience something to do between car chases, it enhances the main story. A bit more of this would have made a really good movie into an outstanding portrait of humanity.
I highly recommend anyone who dares to believe, in God, in themselves, in each other, go and see this film. You will not be disappointed. Self-appointed cinema gurus, watch at your own risk. This is ALMOST a great movie. 8 out of 10.
A Walk to Remember (2002)
A Surprising Vacation from Typical Teen Tripe
I originally walked into this movie as punishment for taking my girlfriend to see Kung Pow with my friends. I turned the tables on her, however, my enjoying this movie, and with good reason.
I have never read the book, and in either case I have no idea what correlation exists between the title and the story, but I do know this about the movie, it is a good story that is competently acted by the principals. Shane West is good at pouting at authority and even better at showing steely resolve when someone dares to believe in him. Mandy Moore easily sells her role as the quiet but confident church mouse, but I think she cheats by having those big brown eyes. The dialog is not perfect but manages to make its point and move the story forward. Personally I think if dialog is "good enough" you need to go back and make it great, but the story itself, while a bit cliched and contrived, glosses over the holes in the dialog.
The movie starts off rather hard-edged and typical of Varsity Blues-type teen movies, but the opening scene is an antithesis to the rest of the story. It is so disjointed that it almost seems out of place, probably because it was not in the book (I'm told), but it can be dismissed as necessary to get us acquainted with the fact that these teens are going headlong down the path to trouble. Once that's out of the way, we can actually start examining the characters.
West seems angry at everybody, probably because his dad left him and his mom is Daryl Hannah in a bad wig. Add his desire to be cool with his friends, mostly by pretending not to care what people think (a dichotomy that only makes sense if you're cool), and you have a kid only to happy to glare at everybody.
Moore is a preacher's daughter who inexplicably sees West and finds in him an inner strength that no one else sees. The film suggests that it's because nobody else is looking for it, a subtle undertone about the times. It goes without saying that they fall in love, and there is a major tragic plot twist in the final third of the movie that has the whole theater blubbering by end credits.
The dirty little secret of this movie is that the story is not about the couple, but about West and his character's redemption. The undertones of faith and charity scream for a religious message, but for better or worse, there is no actual conversion process in the film. I was personally disappointed by this, as it seems to suggest redemption by proxy, which is both unbiblical and impractical, but in an age where religion is immediately and unfairly linked with prosletyzing, it's a compromise I will have to live with.
Having said this, the final portion of the movie seemed a bit drawn out and misdirected. Time spent languishing over the principals, their tragedy and their resolve (a bit mature and dry-eyed for 18-year-olds), could have been invested in West's interaction with supporting characters. In fact, the supporting cast has been sentenced to the periphery in this film, appearing only now and again to remind us that West and Moore are not the only two people on earth. Perhaps truncating the later scenes and replacing them with longer scenes involving the supporting characters would have fleshed them out more, and as a result, made the principals more three-dimensional as well. A good supporting role does not supplant the main story or give the audience something to do between car chases, it enhances the main story. A bit more of this would have made a really good movie into an outstanding portrait of humanity.
I highly recommend anyone who dares to believe, in God, in themselves, in each other, go and see this film. You will not be disappointed. Self-appointed cinema gurus, watch at your own risk. This is ALMOST a great movie. 8 out of 10.
Wo hu cang long (2000)
A remarkable martial-arts achievement!
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has finally made its way to Columbus, OH in its limited release across America, and I am happy to say that this is a very enjoyable experience. Anybody who appreciates martial arts or stories of Eastern legend will love it!
Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh have made an impact in the U.S. already with movies like Anna and the King and Tomorrow Never Dies. In Dragon, they both demonstrate that they can perform ably as both martial arts phenom and dramatic actor of considerable depth.
While at first blush this story seems to surround them and the chemistry between them, it becomes evident that this is really a story about the young princess they encounter in Peking. While trying to recover a mystical sword, known in the subtitles as "Green Destiny", and dealing with the intricacies of dynastic honor and family loyalty, each of them discovers severally that this young woman has an extraordinary amount of talent and grace. More importantly, she is at a crossroads in her life, torn between family duty, true love, and her inward passion for a life free of responsibility, which is aggravated by the seldom-seen villain known as Jade Fox. The coarse of events in the movie ultimately centers around her transition into adulthood and the gravest responsibility of all; deciding for oneself what path to take in life, and dealing with the consequences thereto.
Enough about the characters for now. The story is very well told, at some times severe, at others uproariously funny, at others heart-wrenching, at others introspective. There is enough flashback and reference material that, even being thrown into the middle of the characters' lives, we can easily relate to the wide range of emotions and problems they face. The ending wasn't what I expected, but is typical of Eastern legend and is in truth the best way to bring the story full circle.
The cinematography is gorgeous, showing more than the standard wide-angle Forbidden City shots traditionally associated with China. Instead we are treated to a vast country with an astounding variety of climates, from lush green mountains to dense forests to barren deserts rivaling the most arid parts of central Africa.
But the true beauty of this film is in the action sequences. Coreographed by Hong Kong legend and Matrix guru Yuen Wo Peng, the fights are lightning-fast, expertly staged, and loaded with fantasy elements thanks mostly to Wire-Fu. All of the combatants are appropriately outfitted with superhuman elements of strength, speed and skill that make this a visual treat. The highlight of the film is easily the nimble treetop swordfight between Li (Chow Yun Fat) and his young would-be student.
If this film comes to your town, or ever goes to wide release, take all of your friends and go see it. Yesterday.
The Matrix (1999)
Sci-Fi for the 21st Century
I made the mistake of passing this movie by in the theaters, thinking it was just another sci-fi rehash with Keannu Reeves. After having finally seen it on video, I realized I was dead wrong. Over the next two weeks I saw it five different times as I introduced a host of friends to this movie, all of whom agree with me. This is one of the best and most original sci-fi films of the last 20 years. I will grant you that the movie as a whole is John Woo meets Isaac Asimov meets Star Wars, but the story itself is complex at first glance and just believable enough to be scary.
The acting is an up-and-down affair. Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving are outstanding in this film, and Carrie-Anne Moss is as competent as she is beautiful. Keannu survived this film intact. The other characters are largely understated, and I actually would have liked to see a little more character development. For all the time they spend introducing Neo and idea of The Matrix, they kind of drop all the supporting cast into the film to try and make us believe it's not all about Neo, Trinity and Morpheus.
The special-effects in this movie are outstanding, and have set the standard for eye-candy movies, basically the 1999 Independence Day. With the advent of digital film technology via Lucasfilms, I have a feeling special effects will surpass themselves tenfold in the next ten years alone. But for now this is the king of an ever-changing mountain. In the meantime, the Wachowski brothers demonstrated that there is still room in Hollywood for creative camera work. Some of the shots are outstanding, and even with the most subtle and understated shots, you get the idea that every single shot and angle is exactly where it is meant to be, for a very specific purpose. The cinematography is, to me, the real gem of the film, the diamond in the middle of an above-average story and above-average acting. The Messianic theme is prevalent in science fiction so this movies is easily compared, not only to Star Wars, but any number of sci-fi films and Japanese anime features. But all in all, I think this film is an outstanding effort, it will be a crime when it doesn't get a Best Picture nomination, and I can't wait for 2 and 3.
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Brosnan Finds a Home Between Fire and Ice
After Roger Moore left the 007 franchise, MGM approached Pierce Brosnan for the role in The Living Daylights. Brosnan could not get out of his Remington Steele contract and they went with Timothy Dalton instead. The franchise has been trying to find itself ever since. When Brosnan finally came aboard for Goldeneye, the film was dark and bereft of a central plot. Tomorrow Never Dies went in the opposite direction, featuring more gadgets and explosions than we've seen in a long time, with cardboard supporting roles and no development for the Bond character either. Bond splits the difference with The World Is Not Enough, and returns to the genuine mix of action, intrigue and character that made classic Bond so memorable. Brosnan is going a long way in crafting Bond in his image, mixing the intensity of Dalton with the carefree panache of Roger Moore to find a consumate image we've not seen since Sean Connery. Sophie Marceau is the blueprint Bond girl, equal parts sexiness, elegance and at the same time both fiercely independent and a slave to Bond's charm. Desmond Llewelyn makes his likely last appearance as Q, and introduces his up-and-comer John Cleese. Judi Dench shines as M, and has a larger and deeper role in this film than Ms of the past. The plot moves along smoothly, the action scenes are intense, the actors are smashing, and the characters are (mostly) well-developed. The climax, with Bond and Dr. No #19 fighting aboard a sinking submarine, is vintage Bond. Now the downside. First of all, MORE Q! You can never have too much Q, and his appearance in this particular film is painfully short for a swan song. Robert Carlyle's character is well set-up, both in his complex character and in the standard exotic debilitating injury, but like many Bond fans, I miss SPECTRE-type villains for whom the world is TRULY not enough. He's good, but he's no Goldfinger. The central premise in general, control of oil flow through south central Asia, falls a little short of worldwide domination, though admittedly it's better than domination of the TV rankings. Denise Richards is ENTIRELY forgettable as Dr. Christmas Jones, which I find a doubly ironic name, not only for the obvious Christmas puns that emerge, but also that Sean Connery did a half dozen Bond films, then went on to play a Dr. Jones of his own (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). She is one of the hottest Bond chicks ever but absolutely unbelievable as a nuclear physicist. Her character is flat and exudes little real intelligence, and she is followed through the film by her companion Captain Obvious. Case in point, as Dr. Jones and Bond work feverishly to defuse a nuclear bomb, Bond notes that the screwheads on the warhead have been stripped. Her reply, "Someone's been tampering with the bomb." REALLY?!? Those screws didn't strip themselves?!? I guess it DOES take a nuclear scientist to figure these things out. Also, the action sequences are all drawn out interminably, particularly the warehouse scene. We all like chases and explosions, but the director didn't seem to be content until every conceivable prop had been blown up, which seems to take up to ten minutes in certain instances. All this aside, this is one of the best Bond films to come down the pipe in a LONG time. That delicate balance of action and story works nicely, the characters are outstanding, ESPECIALLY Bond and M, but I give credit to Elektra and Renard for doing a great job with what they were given. Brosnan himself finds that happy medium between cold-hearted agent, fiery lover and a boyish charm that masks the scars from years of pain and loss that are etched into his face. A home between fire and ice.
GoldenEye 007 (1997)
The crown prince of first-person shooters for the N64
Two years after its initial release, Goldeneye still sits atop the field of first-person shooters for the Nintendo 64. Even the Quake and Turok series have not had the combination of graphic detail, sound quality, enemy intelligence, challenge and overall fun that bring me back to this game over and over again. The missions each have specific objectives that force you to think as Bond, not just to shoot up every baddie that pops up on your screen, but also to avoid cameras, disable security systems, rescue hostages, protect the Bond girl, and so on. Q gadgets abound in this game, including the famous watch. The game is loosely based on the movie storyline, including all the major characters and the best scenes of the movie, from the dam bungee-jump to the prop-plane escape to the tank chase through St. Petersburg. Even the layout is preserved where possible, so you'll recognize various situations if you've seen the film. Other levels are added to challenge the player and string together the scenes a little more. With each difficulty level the mission objectives are more difficult, the enemies smarter and the bullets more lethal. I still have not gotten through the 00-Agent levels. Cheats can be opened, not by entering codes or pushing buttons, but by completing certain levels within a certain time frame, and additional characters can be opened up for the multiplayer. The multiplayer is still the best among the first-person shooters. It's not as crisp as Turok but it doesn't slow down nearly as much... tons of options give your friends reason to blow each other up over and over again, and one more time just for kicks. There are better games for the N64, such as Zelda and all things Star Wars, but Rare has continued their streak of outstanding games with a first-person shooter that has not and will not be surpassed until they top themselves in 2000 with Perfect Dark.