Change Your Image
sumytra-2
Reviews
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Middle of the Pack
Starts slowly but recovers and finishes in the middle of the pack. There are some nice features to this film: inhabiting his younger self, rising action is full of tension, irony is present throughout, all of the loose ends are tied up except for one.
Whenever he succeeds at changing the past, his brain changes and heals itself of past memories. He becomes a new person. If he changes so completely why doesn't everyone else change to the same extent? He not only changes his life but every other person with whom he has had contact.
True love wins this race with the idea that having never known a person is better than unrequited love or having that person die.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Anakin Gives In Too Easily
I've been disappointed over the years with many of the Star Wars films especially the secondary characters, Ewoks for example. Silly stuff that did not help me suspend my disbelief. The Revenge of the Sith does not stoop to silliness. Thank you, Mr. Lucas. And, because of that I liked it. Ewan McGregor does a little acting at the end. Natalie Portman is radiant but has seriously outgrown the role. It's always a pleasure to see Jimmy Smitz but anyone could have do his role. The one reason that kept me from completely liking this film is the lead character, Hayden Christensen, as Anakin Skywalker. He is very weak, two dimensional and comes off as an inexperienced actor rather than naive Jedi. He has two facial expressions: See-me-smile-because-I-love-Padme and See-me-stare-through-the-top-of-my-eye sockets-because-I'm-moving-to-the-dark-side. He is predictable and boring even though the audience knows what will happen. I would have liked to have seen him put up a much bigger fight before he was taken over to the dark side.
White Noise (2005)
Not your high school scary movie
This is a movie in which adults can enjoy being scared. There were many teenagers in the almost sold out theater opening night and the girls did a lot of squealing so they probably liked this movie as well as I did.
When I was in grade school my dad used to take me to see scary movies and I learned how to watch them through my fingers. I would put my hands over my eyes and peak through my open fingers in that way I could close them fast if I got too scared. I had an impulse once or twice to do that during this film. I also had an impulse to call out to the characters and warn them.
It was wonderful seeing Michael Keaton on the screen again in a good film. He's nice and trim and aging well. Which is one problem with the film. I'm tired of 20 year old women being paired up with 50 year old men. It is just not necessary. There are beautiful 40 and 50 year old female actresses around. Give somebody with maturity a job. PLEASE!
Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
The Dialogue Aches
What happened to good writing? You won't find it here. The dialogue aches for depth and thought. The central idea of the Phoenix is something that was mentioned in passing as if it wasn't the title for Pete's Sake! The dialogue was bad enough but bad actors make bad dialogue painful. Who was that guy wearing the eye patch and why was he wearing it? He's the one who should have gotten killed! Why was music and dancing imported? What happened to MEANING? Other than that, I saw some interesting new tricks. In addition, the slight actor with dyed blonde hair (Italian name) is such a wonderful actor. I've seen him before in The Gift. He is always unforgettable. Mostly, everybody in this film is a token.
I, Robot (2004)
Did I miss something?
Was something offered in the script to tell the audience why Spooner has a bionic arm? Did I miss something? What's the deal with the bridge? I thought we were crossing into "Mad Max" territory. There were some nice surprises in the film that heightened suspense and I'm so grateful this wasn't an all action flick. They bore me to tears. There was an even distribution of action, detective story, mystery but weak character development. Although, there must have been just enough to make me like the characters and root for them. On the other hand, they were stereotypical. I think Will Smith is a better actor than he is directed to be.
Cold Mountain (2003)
Irony and the Fabricated Ending
I know that happy endings don't necessarily make good literature, that irony is the hallmark of excellence, and that happy endings can be trite and fabricated. I know these things but I really wanted things to be happily-ever-after in this film. I think also that endings are always fabricated. Life goes on in some form while movies and books have to end somewhere, sometime. Anyway, there is a happy ending here that is just as fabricated as another choice. Since all endings are fabricated, why couldn't the author have fabricated differently?
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
No Loose Ends
When I saw the third part of this trilogy, I realized it didn't need to be a trilogy. The second part could have been left out. It had way too much fighting in it. I would say the same thing about this one but there was enough plot, setting, and character development to make this the best one of the lot. While the Fellowship of the Ring laid the necessary groundwork, the King Returns tied all the loose strings together rather nicely.
The Missing (2003)
Doesn't anybody know how to write memorable dialogue any more?
I've been seeing films lately that feature better acting and directing than writing. This is one of those films. The acting is terrific. Cate Blanchett and Tommy Lee Jones are so beautifully subtle. Mr. Jones especially shows a wealth and depth of emotion in the smallest facial movement. Jenna Boyd as the youngest daughter is a youngster to watch for. Of course, I wanted to see more of Val Kilmer who is such a terrific character actor. And, Ron Howard as story teller is terrific. On the other hand, there is too much action and not enough engaging dialogue. Master & Commander is another film without dialogue guts. In fact, sometimes I couldn't even hear the dialogue in that film. It's comparable to the problem of contemporary live theatre. There is a host of great performing arts talent in our country but nobody stands out as a consistent important writer.
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Generic Plot
The foreign films I choose to see are rare and I'm not sure why I decided to see this one. Maybe because the previews I saw made me think this film would be funny. It had some cute dialogue but generally this was a generic plot. Foreign films usually have a certain panache. They are different from American films sometimes in big ways and sometimes in small ways. This film looked and acted like a mediocre American film. Every American issue was highlighted in this movie: gayness, sports vs femininity, generational differences, tradition vs change, race vs race (although I thought sociologists have already proven there is no such thing as race), stupid mothers and wise fathers... I think the director watched a thousand mediocre American films, compared plot lines, found the most popular plot line, and developed a film with the purpose of gathering an uneducated American audience and thus making money. I'm going to look deeper into foreign films from now on.
Laurel Canyon (2002)
Give Christian Bale is due.
Not until the last minute of this film do we know what this film is about. It asks the ubiquitous question: "What do women want?" The poor guy is trying so hard to do the right thing for himself and the women in his life. He has it morally right but what about the emotional? His mother did something right - she raised a moral son who is attracted to scientific women who are the opposite of his mother. Or, so he thinks. Christian Bale is wonderful in this film. I think he is always wonderful and never seems to get credit for his ability to become the characters he plays. This is a romantic lead who can also be a character actor. He is enormously talented and I want to see him get an Oscar Award for something, sometime. This won't be the time but he is someone to watch.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Whoa is me.
Whoa is me. Johnny Depp didn't take this film very seriously. I know it's not a serious film but actor decisions are and either he or the director made some very bad choices for the Captain Sparrow character. He was so swishy. Who is the hero in this film? No one. I didn't care about any of these people. In addition, this is a two joke movie: 1) Look mom. The pirates turn into skeletons in the moonlight at least 1567 times. Isn't that fun? 2) Look mom. An eyeball has a fork in it and it rolls along the ground and it falls out of that guys face and...Isn't that fun? Nope. It isn't fun or funny or interesting after the first time. And although the combat scenes are well choreographed - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!! I fell asleep twice. I was sooooo disappointed. I really wanted to like this film.
Whale Rider (2002)
Adaptation is part of evolution.
In order for cultures to "stay alive," they need to develop constantly. Anything living changes over time. Adaptation is part of evolution. The culture depicted in this film is at a crossroads. The conflict can be described as age vs youth, male vs female, tradition vs the new, death vs life. It holds the message: Don't dismiss something/someone because they don't fit into your concept of what is good and true. An open mind and flexibility is going to be important for all of us to survive happily in the midst of globalization. Cultures need to be respected and they need the time and space to evolve.
This is a deeply, satisfying film.
28 Days Later... (2002)
A quick pulse interrupted by fast and furious camera work
Independent fright films are not my cup of tea but when I read a review that said there was great camera work, a real story line, AND scary, I thought, "What the heck. It's summer. Go for a laugh."
There are no laughs here and this film is truly scary. I didn't jump out of my seat. Nor did I jerk, cover my eyes, and knock my glasses off my nose. What I did was grip the arms of my theater seat and I don't think I blinked during the entire film. This movie had a quick pulse interrupted by fast and furious camera work. Sound is as important to this film as the visuals. This movie is visceral but also philosophical. What is survival? What is friendship? Who are the bad guys? Is it possible to love when you're in survival mode? What is trust?
It is dark though and I'm getting tired of films made in the dark. Film Noir?
Bruce Almighty (2003)
Fluffy
I liked this film and I'm not a comedy person. I like films with some meat to chew on. This film is a little fluffy around the edges and there is nothing here I haven't pondered before but there might be something deep for the general audience. I was pleasantly surprised that Jim Carrey did not go over the top! Thanks God. Of course, Morgan Freeman is good in everything he does. He is a human, believable actor who is always appropriate. This is the first thing I've seen Jennifer Aniston in and I liked her scenes with Jim Carrey--they were truly having fun together. Jim Carrey was handsome, modulated, and mature in this film. Thanks God.
Never Again (2001)
Fiftyish Fun
I think you have to be over 50 to enjoy this film. The humor is mostly sublime not the stupid, over-the-top site gags that drive most of todays immature comedies. I watched this film alone and laughed out loud till my sides ached. That could be because I have arthritis and fibromyalgia and I'm one of those "Never Again" used and abused people.
Blue Car (2002)
Where are the grownups?
As a high school teacher, I've seen the kind of "whatever" looks used by Agnes Bruckner in this film. That small touch of acting/direction made the character very real for me. When Straitharn's character probes her writing impetus, he moves her past the "whatever" or "I don't know" into expression and he was really good at pulling information from students. When he tried the same technique in a personal situation, he overstepped his boundary. Learning how to express oneself is part of writing and when to express oneself is part of growing up. It's about self-expression and boundaries. Adults are supposed to be models for those appropriate boundaries but the adults in this film are as clueless about boundaries as the kids are. I think that is relatively true of today's world. Where are the grownups? Meg does manage to maneuver through all the horrible messages she is given. Where she goes with it, is the sequel.
Max (2002)
A Meaningful Work of Art drawn with fine indelible ink.
John Cusack has developed into a still actor. His face speaks volumes. Like a realistic still life painting, he gathers the viewers and asks them to "Watch." And, "Max" is realism/surrealism. It is familiar but unfamiliar at the same time. This film did not convince me that Hitler had the kind of artistic ability that would have made him a successful painter and certainly not an Expressionist. Noah Taylor is so deliciously disgusting that he made the film surreal while Cusack made it real. The idea is ingenius, the staged settings are conceptualized as much for live theatre as film, and the characters are drawn with fine indelible ink. There is no moral here but there is much meaning.
The Good Thief (2002)
Boring
Boring, boring, boring, etc. I fell asleep. The only thing I could logically follow was the guy with breasts who didn't like spiders. All the characters were worthless. There are attempts at gaining audience appeal for the Nick Nolte character but he is just too sleazy to like. I can't figure out why people think this thing is worth spending a matinee price on.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
Embedded with irony to the point of oxymoron.
George Clooney has embedded "Confessions" with irony to the point of oxymoron. The cleverness of it all! Dark, lightness. Silly, seriousness. It's Clooney who has the dangerous mind! By using the mercurial talents of Sam Rockwell, he shows a spark of genius. To give Rockwell the main character role (which he certainly deserves) and give little cameos to the big name stars is also ironic. What is real scary is Clooney really understands the irony of Chuck Barris who is a peddler of distorted, cheap, TV shows and a CIA operative. Is Clooney himself that extreme? Clooney's personality is embedded in the film and he loves the mystery of it all. With Clooney, the subtext is always, "I'll never tell." I think he is a far better director than he is an actor. Clooney is a true Jungian trickster and I suspect that this is the only type of film Clooney can make. It is as much about him as it is the characters which may be true about all directors but with Clooney it could become a tragic flaw.
About Schmidt (2002)
Realism/Uglyism
This movie was so real, it was ugly. Everything about it was ugly. But, ugly is a good thing here. It makes fun of everything that is middle class and the middle class deserves it. From props to language to costumes to set -- it's just plain old ugly. But, not offensive. It took humility for most of these actors to play these roles. And, the viewing experience is humbling. I don't want to see it again but I'm glad this movie was made. Irony abounds.
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
A Well-Told Story
This film was clearly not a star vehicle. It was three guys getting together creating a solid piece of work. Spielberg is a great storyteller. No loose ends. Everything is tied together neatly. Tom Hanks is a good actor making everybody else look good, too. Leonardo DiCaprio is still growing as an actor and this film catches him in that growth between teenage fame and adult power. Tom Hanks helps him with wisdom and Spielberg blends the two of them into respect. It's clear all three men respect each other's work. I do to. I smiled throughout the film. Thanks guys for a great matinee!
Kate & Leopold (2001)
Meg Ryan looks terrible in the film.
Jeez. Who did her hair! It was so bad it was distracting! Not a good match: Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman. He is so obviously theatre trained and Meg is Meg which has always been good but I don't think her bits work for her anymore. She's gotta reinvent herself. I'm also tired of toothpick thin women. It isn't beautiful. I thought that Helen Hunt would have been better casting for the role, then I thought, "Oh no! She's too thin, too!" Besides the body type, the movie was cute. The time traveling thing and the mental institution thing were unsubstantial devices. The Duke assimilated too easily and let himself be talked into going back without even a word of regret. All this romance and then the guy doesn't even ask why he has to go back?! Duh. What was the dog thing? After Stuart fell down the elevator shaft the only purpose for the dog was to drag the Duke all over town. Lame. Really, lame. The best thing about this movie was the emphasis on "Old Fashioned Manners" which will be wasted on anyone under 35 who will think manners are quaint.